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