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