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