.~~/^%§£##                                          ##£§%^/~~.
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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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