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