.,,...,»^£                                          £^»,...,,.
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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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,-»=$@£¶##                                          ##¶£@$=»-,
,.¨¨..-†§£                                          £§†-..¨¨.,