¨¨.»=*%#@#                                          #@#%*=».¨¨
¨.«;%££@##                                          ##@££%;«.¨
,.--/§$£@#                                          #@£$§/--.,
.¨.:-\*@£¶                                          ¶£@*\-:.¨.
¨.,¨:=/§¤#                                          #¤§/=:¨,.¨
¨.,^=:$£§#                 statuette                #§£$:=^,.¨
.,:~†*£§@@                                          @@§£*†~:,.
,:~\^&@### &&*%%§@$£$£$§%$$»~~-~~=~*§&$$%¤%§@*§%%@£ ###@&^\~:,
¨¨,~†*¤¤@#                 &$¤$££*&¤                #@¤¤*†~,¨¨
¨,¨:=:%¤§@                                          @§¤%:=:¨,¨
,.¨.:=†%@# 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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...,^-*†%£                                          £%†*-^,...
..,.-^^*&@                                          @&*^^-.,..
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