.-=^**£###                                          ###£**^=-.
.-»;%£@@##                                          ##@@£%;»-.
,,~*†*@$&@                                          @&$@*†*~,,
,,«\†*¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤*†\«,,
,^~/§£@¶@#                                          #@¶@£§/~^,
.,-†**##@#                 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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