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