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