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