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