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