.,=^*&§@##                                          ##@§&*^=,.
¨,-†=£¤£##                                          ##£¤£=†-,¨
,-=†^*££@#                                          #@££*^†=-,
,:«=§%§##@                                          @##§%§=«:,
,~~=^£§¶##                                          ##¶§£^=~~,
..¨¨-=%£¤§                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, #&#&%$\«^.
,..,,**=%§   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   §%=**,,..,
,.,-»^*&#¶ freshly made, not yet completely  dried. ¶#&*^»-,.,
.¨,.,=^**&                                          &**^=,.,¨.
¨~~\*%£¶## my mom is  here  now. i ask her for some ##¶£%*\~~¨
¨^~\%%¤@## particle board  for it to  dry  on,  but ##@¤%%\~^¨
.,«:**&### she   is   worried   and  wants  me   to ###&**:«,.
,..,-,**£#              throw it away.              #£**,-,..,
,,~;^¤¤###                                          ###¤¤^;~,,
,--^%%*@¶#                                          #¶@*%%^--,
,^-:§§¤¶##                                          ##¶¤§§:-^,
,,,,^,«^§#                                          #§^«,^,,,,
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¨.,-/†^$@&                                          &@$^†/-,.¨