,,-^^£§###                                          ###§£^^-,,
¨^~;*%####                                          ####%*;~^¨
,^-^%$¤£@#                                          #@£¤$%^-^,
,¨.¨~.«%§¤                                          ¤§%«.~¨.¨,
,:~/%@¤#@#                                          #@#¤@%/~:,
,.^.»/¤%¤#                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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