.^-\**%$£@                                          @£$%**\-^.
.~~/%§&&¶£                                          £¶&&§%/~~.
¨-=*%@¤£@#                                          #@£¤@%*=-¨
.-==*§%*%#                                          #%*%§*==-.
.,.,-~%%&¶                                          ¶&%%~-,.,.
¨,~=^£@###                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 #&†=*$==-,
¨~~\§%@#@# must have  been laying in the  wet dirt, #@#@%§\~~¨
,,~:^†&¤## and  i must've  picked  it  up  with  my ##¤&†^:~,,
,,=†%£@@##            other belongings.             ##@@£%†=,,
,~~;§$&@##                                          ##@&$§;~~,
¨,»:=%£@¶@ it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked @¶@£%=:»,¨
¨:»;^&§¶## on  her   stomach,  feet  in   the  air, ##¶§&^;»:¨
.,.,¨:~%&§   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   §&%~:¨,.,.
¨,»^§¤#@## freshly made, not yet  completely dried. ##@#¤§^»,¨
.¨,¨,==-*&                                          &*-==,¨,¨.
¨,.^:§¤£@@ my mom is  here now. i ask her for  some @@£¤§:^.,¨
,:=†^%&@£# particle  board  for it  to dry  on, but #£@&%^†=:,
¨~-=†£#¶## she   is   worried   and  wants   me  to ##¶#£†=-~¨
.~=††£@###              throw it away.              ###@£††=~.
¨:~;=†$£#&                                          &#£$†=;~:¨
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.,«\$£§§@#                                          #@§§£$\«,.
,..,«^^$%#                                          #%$^^«,..,
¨,¨,»^£%&@                                          @&%£^»,¨,¨
,,..~~,;@#                                          #@;,~~..,,