¨.¨--§@$£§                                          §£$@§--¨.¨
.~«*†££#@#                                          #@#££†*«~.
¨^»:=†§$%§                                          §%$§†=:»^¨
..«;§§¤###                                          ###¤§§;«..
¨.--»:=%§@                                          @§%=:»--.¨
.^»†^%§#@#                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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,:~/$%££##                                          ##££%$/~:,