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