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