.-~^*&&###                                          ###&&*^~-.
.,.¨~~*§¤§                                          §¤§*~~¨.,.
.,,.¨.^££¤                                          ¤££^.¨.,,.
..,.,†£#@£                                          £@#£†,.,..
.^-†/†$*#@                                          @#*$†/†-^.
.-~*&£####                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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