.,--*§%§##                                          ##§%§*--,.
.^~=*£@###                                          ###@£*=~^.
.,~~;§@§@#                                          #@§@§;~~,.
¨¨,:=^=*§#                                          #§*=^=:,¨¨
¨.~-;†£@¶#                                          #¶@£†;-~.¨
,~~=$%¤¶##                 statuette                ##¶¤%$=~~,
..-«;^£§@#                                          #@§£^;«-..
¨¨..»:§@@¶ £*$&@@§$§@@%@&¤*-~»---~»%¤£%*££¤*$£¤£¤§* ¶@@§:»..¨¨
¨¨:«†$¤@¶#                *&%$§£%£%                 #¶@¤$†«:¨¨
,.»;*§&@##                                          ##@&§*;».,
.¨,»;*$@@# forests around my childhood  home. thick #@@$*;»,¨.
,¨¨:=\^@@¶ 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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,.:«/^&§##                                          ##§&^/«:.,