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