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