¨~»†=£@###                                          ###@£=†»~¨
,,.,~«^$£#                                          #£$^«~,.,,
.¨¨:~«;**@                                          @**;«~:¨¨.
..,¨.=$%£#                                          #£%$=.¨,..
,,-\†%£@##                                          ##@£%†\-,,
,-«\$@#£##                 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 ##¶£$†/~-,
..¨,-/=†§@ particle  board  for it to  dry on,  but @§†=/-,¨..
¨.¨~»/§§&# she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to #&§§/»~¨.¨
..¨~»==^¤#              throw it away.              #¤^==»~¨..
.^»\%£&¤££                                          ££¤&£%\»^.
¨~«\*$&¶##                                          ##¶&$*\«~¨
¨.«;§%£##@                                          @##£%§;«.¨
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,:†^$¤£###                                          ###£¤$^†:,