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