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