,,~.,~$§¶#                                          #¶§$~,.~,,
¨-=**§§£#@                                          @#£§§**=-¨
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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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..¨.¨.,^%@                                          @%^,.¨.¨..