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