,:=:%§$¤¤@                                          @¤¤$§%:=:,
.^=^*£@£@#                                          #@£@£*^=^.
,,«\§£¤£##                                          ##£¤£§\«,,
.,=**¤¤£##                                          ##£¤¤**=,.
.--/†%&£#@                                          @#£&%†/--.
....,,«=†@                 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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,¨.¨-*=#£#                                          #£#=*-¨.¨,
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