,-~/%%£###                                          ###£%%/~-,
.^~=%*£@##                                          ##@£*%=~^.
,:»-~;\$$#                                          #$$\;~-»:,
.-==†*†$¤#                                          #¤$†*†==-.
.,-:=§#@##                                          ##@#§=:-,.
,:«=*$##@#                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.              ##££%$\~:,
,,»^*%@#¶#                                          #¶#@%*^»,,
.^«/^*£###                                          ###£*^/«^.
¨,»=%$#@@#                                          #@@#$%=»,¨
,-»^**%**#                                          #**%**^»-,
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.:~†$@¤@##                                          ##@¤@$†~:.