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