,~»--:=†§¶                                          ¶§†=:--»~,
¨,~\=%§£@#                                          #@£§%=\~,¨
¨.~†*%@#&¶                                          ¶&#@%*†~.¨
,~=*^*%%*§                                          §*%%*^*=~,
,.^-†=%£@#                                          #@£%=†-^.,
,¨...»;%%@                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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,,,.»=†$@#                                          #@$†=».,,,
....¨.»**#                                          #**».¨....