,-~:%¤&@@#                                          #@@&¤%:~-,
¨,=*=*####                                          ####*=*=,¨
¨..¨.=*&£#                                          #£&*=.¨..¨
¨¨.,,=†@§@                                          @§@†=,,.¨¨
.-»=^¤¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤¤^=»-.
¨.,,,.^=%@                 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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.:«/=@¶###                                          ###¶@=/«:.
,:=^%¤#@@#                                          #@@#¤%^=:,