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