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