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