.:«**¤£###                                          ###£¤**«:.
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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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,,,~†^%£##                                          ##£%^†~,,,
.,~^§$£###                                          ###£$§^~,.
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.:~==$@###                                          ###@$==~:.