..~;%$£@£@                                          @£@£$%;~..
.^~††§*¤#@                                          @#¤*§††~^.
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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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.-=^=§@@##                                          ##@@§=^=-.