,,=\%£§###                                          ###§£%\=,,
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,¨..,,†*§@                                          @§*†,,..¨,
¨:-^=§@@##                                          ##@@§=^-:¨
¨,~*%£&###                                          ###&£%*~,¨
,...-=*&##                 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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,....,~=#&                                          &#=~,....,