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