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