.,=;§$@###                                          ###@$§;=,.
¨,-»†*@£@#                                          #@£@*†»-,¨
¨^~;=%#@##                                          ##@#%=;~^¨
,¨^«*=$§##                                          ##§$=*«^¨,
,,«*†¤§@##                                          ##@§¤†*«,,
.,-=;%&&@#                 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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