¨,..¨.~^$¤                                          ¤$^~.¨..,¨
,,¨,,¨:=\^                                          ^\=:¨,,¨,,
¨,..¨.»^%@                                          @%^».¨..,¨
..,¨.»*%$#                                          #$%*».¨,..
¨¨,,»^§@@#                                          #@@§^»,,¨¨
,¨.-†%£¤£#                 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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