,^~:^%£#@#                                          #@#£%^:~^,
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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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.~~/=££¶##                                          ##¶££=/~~.
.,.¨¨~%$¤#                                          #¤$%~¨¨.,.
¨,..~--*#@                                          @#*--~..,¨