¶#%%*/~»,.                                          .,»~/*%%#¶
##¶#%=:=,,                                          ,,=:=%#¶##
#@@#&§/«,¨                                          ¨,«/§&#@@#
##¶@@%†«^.                                          .^«†%@@¶##
§^»,,.,¨..                                          ..¨,.,,»^§
¶¶&$†--.,¨                 statuette                ¨,.--†$&¶¶
#$$%=;..¨¨                                          ¨¨..;=%$$#
&£/,-,¨,.¨ %$£%¤$£%£%££££%%-«»~=»~~$$$¤@*%$¤%*¤£$$% ¨.,¨,-,/£&
###@$§;»:.                 $$&*§¤$££                .:»;§$@###
##£#¤=*~,¨                                          ¨,~*=¤#£##
###£%%^~., forests  around my childhood home. thick ,.~^%%£###
#@#£%^:=^, pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and ,^=:^%£#@#
##@@$†=»-¨      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ¨-»=†$@@##
£@@%$--,.. underneath,  sniffing  at the ground. it ..,--$%@@£
¤§$%«~-¨., is  dark and  moist,  the  canopy having ,.¨-~«%$§¤
£@&%/,,... already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ...,,/%&@£
##@@&§*=,,                                          ,,=*§&@@##
##@@%%;~,. there's  a river passing  by,  from east .,~;%%@@##
#§@§%*^=,¨ to west, getting broader  and deeper and ¨,=^*%§@§#
@#&$;-..¨, slower as  it goes. equisetum  grow just ,¨..-;$&#@
@£§^†;,.,, where  the  pine  hands   start  to  let ,,.,;†^§£@
#%%~,.¨,¨, through  light, horsemint  on the  rocky ,¨,¨.,~%%#
#@@#&$\~-¨                river bed.                ¨-~\$&#@@#
##¶§§=;-,.                                          .,-;=§§¶##
@£§†~,¨.,.                    *                     .,.¨,~†§£@
£*;«:,¨,¨.                                          .¨,¨,:«;*£
&@*~-..,,, the  riverbanks  reek of  magic. tonight ,,,..-~*@&
#¶@@%†=»:¨ they had been  a  swampworld with sylvan ¨:»=†%@@¶#
#@££§$=~^¨ water, stone  rings and  floating  moss. ¨^~=$§££@#
###&£†:=:¨ you could've  found  me wallowing around ¨:=:†£&###
##@@&†^~,¨ on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got ¨,~^†&@@##
¶$^^:.,¨,.                 bitten.                  .,¨,.:^^$¶
#£^=$$:-.,                                          ,.-:$$=^£#
##@£@^†-:¨ but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid ¨:-†^@£@##
###@&§†=:, ground, in shoulder-high grass, with  an ,:=†§&@###
#@#$$%/~.¨ orange  tin  radio  and  a   translucent ¨.~/%$$#@#
###¤$$;~,¨      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      ¨,~;$$¤###
#@£§&*=».,                                          ,.»=*&§£@#
###£§$*=--                    †                     --=*$§£###
¤$=~-,,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,,-~=$¤
##@¤$%;~-¨ somethings  moving  in  the  grass. it's ¨-~;%$¤@##
¶#$$£^/-.¨ invisible  to  my  eyes  but i  can feel ¨.-/^£$$#¶
##¶@$*†«,, through the ground just how large it is. ,,«†*$@¶##
##=*\\~.¨¨                                          ¨¨.~\\*=##
###§*%*=.¨ the soil is  muddy.  i slip when  trying ¨.=*%*§###
@#@§§%\--¨ to  get   up,   still   looking  at  the ¨--\%§§@#@
####@%/=^¨ direction  of sound  rather  than  at my ¨^=/%@####
¶##£@==~^. hands,  who  are busy putting  things in .^~==@£##¶
##¶@&†;«..                my pockets.               ..«;†&@¶##
@£§;«¨,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,¨«;§£@
£¤§§%*/~:¨ then  i  run  east   toward   my   home. ¨:~/*%§§¤£
#¶@£¤*;~:.                                          .:~;*¤£@¶#
#^=:~,¨¨,¨                     \                    ¨,¨¨,~:=^#
##@§¤=\=.,                                          ,.=\=¤§@##
@£%;~~~«,. i am not followed, and  slow down in the .,«~~~;%£@
&%*†=,¨... clearing where  you at  first  can  spot ...¨,=†*%&
#@¶&&%\~:¨ the   house,  not  yet  really  in   the ¨:~\%&&¶@#
##&¤%%;»., backyard. from  my pockets i retrieve my ,.»;%%¤&##
#@¤*§;~¨¨. radio  (now dented)  but  also  a  small .¨¨~;§*¤@#
@§==.¨,,.¨ clay figure  i've never seen before.  it ¨.,,¨.==§@
@%%%*=»-,¨ must  have been  laying in the wet dirt, ¨,-»=*%%%@
¶@@*~-¨¨,, and  i  must've  picked  it  up  with my ,,¨¨-~*@@¶
#%/:/,.,.,             other belongings.            ,.,.,/:/%#
£#%&=~~,,,                                          ,,,~~=&%#£
##@#&=^=^. it's a statuette of a girl  laying naked .^=^=&#@##
#¤†^,,.¨,. on  her   stomach,  feet  in   the  air, .,¨.,,^†¤#
#@£*=.,~,,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,,~,.=*£@#
#§%%\..¨., freshly made, not yet completely  dried. ,.¨..\%%§#
##@¤£%/«,,                                          ,,«/%£¤@##
####@†^--, my mom is here  now. i ask her  for some ,--^†@####
¶@&=*~~-~¨ particle  board for it  to  dry  on, but ¨~-~~*=&@¶
£#@@$%†~., she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to ,.~†%$@@#£
££*;†.,.,¨              throw it away.              ¨,.,.†;*££
##@#@^†~:¨                                          ¨:~†^@#@##
##@§$=†=.,                                          ,.=†=$§@##
#@#@$$:«^¨                                          ¨^«:$$@#@#
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##@#£%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%£#@##
@*$¤£$;«,.                                          .,«;$£¤$*@