.-=\§%@£##                                          ##£@%§\=-.
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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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.,=^*%####                                          ####%*^=,.