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