.:~=;$££@¶                                          ¶@££$;=~:.
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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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.,,¨.¨--%&                                          &%--¨.¨,,.