,^=:;/†¤#@                                          @#¤†/;:=^,
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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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¨..~«~*†#¤                                          ¤#†*~«~..¨