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