¨~~*=¤#£##                                          ##£#¤=*~~¨
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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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....,.~~*#                                          #*~~.,....
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