,:~:=^%*£¤                                          ¤£*%^=:~:,
.,=/§^§%@#                                          #@%§^§/=,.
,¨~-,==$^&                                          &^$==,-~¨,
,:=;**£¶##                                          ##¶£**;=:,
.,=^*%¤§£§                                          §£§¤%*^=,.
¨.~;*&&£&#                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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,,~;§££@¶#                                          #¶@££§;~,,