,~~^*£§@##                                          ##@§£*^~~,
.,,~\^&&@#                                          #@&&^\~,,.
.,-††%££##                                          ##££%††-,.
..,~/^§£##                                          ##£§^/~,..
.^==^*@¶##                                          ##¶@*^==^.
.,,-;*£§£#                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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