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