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