.,~/=&#@##                                          ##@#&=/~,.
.,.¨,.,«%£                                          £%«,.,¨.,.
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,¨.,^\*†¤#                                          #¤†*\^,.¨,
,.»;§¤&@##                                          ##@&¤§;».,
.~-^§$@###                statuette                 ###@$§^-~.
,¨,..~%£@#                                          #@£%~..,¨,
,,,.,-§$£¶ $&&£%%%£%£££§%££~»~-~-»~$£%£§$&@*$¤£*%@* ¶£$§-,.,,,
..¨,^*£&#@                %%$%*£§$@                 @#&£*^,¨..
,~-:^@###@                                          @###@^:-~,
.,~/§%&£## forests  around my childhood home. thick ##£&%§/~,.
...,.^/†@& pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and &@†/^.,...
¨^~†%¤¤@@#       forgotten. wild boars roaming      #@@¤¤%†~^¨
,,-:*£#@## underneath,  sniffing at the ground.  it ##@#£*:-,,
.~~;*%¤@## is dark and  moist,  the  canopy  having ##@¤%*;~~.
,~~^%*£### already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ###£*%^~~,
.,~^§%@##@                                          @##@%§^~,.
¨:«=*@&@## there's  a  river passing by, from  east ##@&@*=«:¨
,-»†*%#£## to west, getting  broader and deeper and ##£#%*†»-,
.,~/%%*¤¤@ slower as it goes.  equisetum grow  just @¤¤*%%/~,.
.:~:*£££@# where  the  pine  hands  start   to  let #@£££*:~:.
,~~\**&### through  light,  horsemint  on the rocky ###&**\~~,
.,~^*$#@##                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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.,»†§$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$§†»,.