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