.-«/**@@¤@                                          @¤@@**/«-.
.^-:§§££##                                          ##££§§:-^.
,:=\†@##@#                                          #@##@†\=:,
¨¨,»=:^*%&                                          &%*^:=»,¨¨
...,-~=%%¤                                          ¤%%=~-,...
¨,,¨=\/*£#                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 £@£*$/;~:¨
¨,=\%§§@## on  her   stomach,  feet  in   the  air, ##@§§%\=,¨
,:=\/*;/%§   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   §%/;*/\=:,
.~~:%%&££@ freshly made, not yet completely  dried. @££&%%:~~.
.,~=^%&@#@                                          @#@&%^=~,.
¨,»†^@¤### my mom is  here now.  i ask her for some ###¤@^†»,¨
¨,¨,,,»^§# particle  board for  it  to dry on,  but #§^»,,,¨,¨
,.~:*§§### she   is  worried  and   wants   me   to ###§§*:~.,
¨,¨¨,,¨~=#              throw it away.              #=~¨,,¨¨,¨
,,»:=\^%^&                                          &^%^\=:»,,
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,,=;*$#@##                                          ##@#$*;=,,
¨,»*$*#@##                                          ##@#*$*»,¨
¨.,~/=$$¤§                                          §¤$$=/~,.¨
.~~\%£¤@##                                          ##@¤£%\~~.