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