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