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