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