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