.¨..,.~^*@                                          @*^~.,..¨.
..,¨¨~*£¤#                                          #¤£*~¨¨,..
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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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,--/:^=#@#                                          #@#=^:/--,
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,¨.¨.,/=†&                                          &†=/,.¨.¨,