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