.¨..~»/%¤@                                          @¤%/»~..¨.
.¨.,-*†§@@                                          @@§†*-,.¨.
¨.~~^=§@##                                          ##@§=^~~.¨
¨-=††&¶###                                          ###¶&††=-¨
¨¨:»=^&@##                                          ##@&^=»:¨¨
,.,,~†$$@@                statuette                 @@$$†~,,.,
..,¨,«^=%#                                          #%=^«,¨,..
,¨¨,¨,«*§@ @¤$¤££%$%¤£@$£¤%~=~~-«=~£$$***%%%££%%%@£ @§*«,¨,¨¨,
.,¨,,,.~*^                $££@&%¤*¤                 ^*~.,,,¨,.
.¨,¨,,.:~:                                          :~:.,,¨,¨.
¨.,¨.¨^~;* forests around my childhood home.  thick *;~^¨.¨,.¨
.,.,¨~-*§£ pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and £§*-~¨,.,.
,,,,:«/*£¶       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ¶£*/«:,,,,
,¨¨,-;$%£# 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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¨¨¨.,»:*£@                                          @£*:»,.¨¨¨