.,=*§£¤@##                                          ##@¤£§*=,.
¨.¨,¨~^$&¤                                          ¤&$^~¨,¨.¨
,-«\*%##@#                                          #@##%*\«-,
,~~:%*####                                          ####*%:~~,
,.¨¨»%%*#§                                          §#*%%»¨¨.,
.-~:$%¤£##                 statuette                ##£¤%$:~-.
,,«^*%¤£##                                          ##£¤%*^«,,
,¨¨^-:~:*& ¤@$&@¤£%£&&£*£&@~«»-»«»~%*%%$¤£$§$$££@§§ &*:~:-^¨¨,
,¨,¨¨,^*@£                *@£%£££§$                 £@*^,¨¨,¨,
,~-*%¤#@##                                          ##@#¤%*-~,
¨~«^†$#£## forests around my childhood  home. thick ##£#$†^«~¨
.,«=^$££@# pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and #@££$^=«,.
.,=*%§£@##       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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