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