.~»\$%@£##                                          ##£@%$\»~.
,^«/%£#@##                                          ##@#£%/«^,
,,..~»\%@#                                          #@%\»~..,,
¨-=:^&£@#@                                          @#@£&^:=-¨
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..,,,*;%@#                 statuette                #@%;*,,,..
,,«†*&¤@##                                          ##@¤&*†«,,
¨,»†=$#¶@# %£%£*§%£%&§$£%*%»=»~~-»»$%%£%$@$@@@§§£%@ #@¶#$=†»,¨
,,-:*$¤£##                §*@&*$@%$                 ##£¤$*:-,,
,.:-.-=*§@                                          @§*=-.-:.,
,.¨.,«=%@¤ forests around my childhood home.  thick ¤@%=«,.¨.,
¨-~:^@&@@@ pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and @@@&@^:~-¨
¨.,.=~»†¤#      forgotten. wild boars roaming       #¤†»~=.,.¨
,.=;*$§£## 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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,:«^*@*£%@                                          @%£*@*^«:,
¨--*=$%£##                                          ##£%$=*--¨
.^~*$££@@#                                          #@@££$*~^.