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