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