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