,.~:†$£###                                          ###£$†:~.,
.¨~»/$¤@£#                                          #£@¤$/»~¨.
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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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¨.~\%£¤@##                                          ##@¤£%\~.¨