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