,^,^=$=£@#                                          #@£=$=^,^,
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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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¨.~\^&####                                          ####&^\~.¨