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