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