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