¨.~/†$§¶##                                          ##¶§$†/~.¨
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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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¨,»*%%§@##                                          ##@§%%*»,¨