.~==*$§@##                                          ##@§$*==~.
.,,-~«:%@#                                          #@%:«~-,,.
..¨¨»-^##@                                          @##^-»¨¨..
,¨¨,¨-.†%£                                          £%†.-¨,¨¨,
..,.-«%§%@                                          @%§%«-.,..
¨,.,:=†@@£                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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..~/%*§£@#                                          #@£§*%/~..
.,~:%%@£#@                                          @#£@%%:~,.