,..¨:;@¤£#                                          #£¤@;:¨..,
,¨.,~%§%£&                                          &£%§%~,.¨,
..«*§$¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤$§*«..
.¨¨.,»«^^&                                          &^^«»,.¨¨.
¨,=^%£&#@@                                          @@#&£%^=,¨
,¨..»»=££#                 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 #@@§$*/«,,
¨.,,;=/£¤@ particle  board  for it  to  dry on, but @¤£/=;,,.¨
¨.¨¨,¨=\*@ she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to @*\=¨,¨¨.¨
,-=;*¤#£##              throw it away.              ##£#¤*;=-,
,,.¨.,=$¤¶                                          ¶¤$=,.¨.,,
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,.«*=£@#&£                                          £&#@£=*«.,
¨.~†$%@@##                                          ##@@%$†~.¨
.~»†*¤§@##                                          ##@§¤*†»~.
¨~~^$£§@##                                          ##@§£$^~~¨