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