..,,.:£@¤£                                          £¤@£:.,,..
¨:=\$$££#@                                          @#££$$\=:¨
.^~«~«~*§#                                          #§*~«~«~^.
,,«;§@£¶@#                                          #@¶£@§;«,,
¨.«/£@¶@##                                          ##@¶@£/«.¨
¨-«;†@@#@@                statuette                 @@#@@†;«-¨
,:==^££#@#                                          #@#££^==:,
,,~;=£#### %@§¤§&&¤%¤¤$$%§£=»=~-~-«§¤$$%@$$$$££%§§& ####£=;~,,
,,,¨¨=;^&#                £$%&$%%$%                 #&^;=¨¨,,,
..=;%¤##@#                                          #@##¤%;=..
¨~«†%%&§$£ forests around my childhood home.  thick £$§&%%†«~¨
.,»;^¤¤¶## pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and ##¶¤¤^;»,.
,-~===$*£§      forgotten. wild boars roaming       §£*$===~-,
¨^=/*@@£## underneath, sniffing at  the  ground. it ##£@@*/=^¨
¨¨...¨,=^# is dark  and  moist,  the  canopy having #^=,¨...¨¨
..-\$*@¶## already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ##¶@*$\-..
.,~:=$§#@#                                          #@#§$=:~,.
...,»;^@@# there's  a river  passing by,  from east #@@^;»,...
¨~~\†£¤### to west, getting broader  and deeper and ###¤£†\~~¨
.,~:†@£#¶£ slower as  it goes. equisetum  grow just £¶#£@†:~,.
.,=^=£@### where   the  pine  hands  start  to  let ###@£=^=,.
.~-=*&¤¤£# through light,  horsemint  on  the rocky #£¤¤&*=-~.
¨:~†^$%£$&                river bed.                &$£%$^†~:¨
.,=†§$§#@@                                          @@#§$§†=,.
,.-^=$£¶##                    ^                     ##¶£$=^-.,
,.:~***%$&                                          &$%***~:.,
¨.¨.=~=:%¶ the  riverbanks reek  of  magic. tonight ¶%:=~=.¨.¨
¨,~«\^*%%@ they  had  been a swampworld with sylvan @%%*^\«~,¨
.,»*=&#@## water, stone rings  and  floating  moss. ##@#&=*»,.
¨,,-=^:%£@ you  could've found me wallowing  around @£%:^=-,,¨
,^=†*&&#@# on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got #@#&&*†=^,
¨~=:=$&£##                  bitten.                 ##£&$=:=~¨
,..,.,~=%@                                          @%=~,.,..,
,,.¨¨,~\†@ but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid @†\~,¨¨.,,
.¨,,^:$@#@ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with  an @#@$:^,,¨.
.^»=$&@#@# orange  tin  radio  and   a  translucent #@#@&$=»^.
,,»;%$#@@#      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      #@@#$%;»,,
¨.~^$$@@##                                          ##@@$$^~.¨
,^=/^£####                    \                     ####£^/=^,
,¨.,.-†*¶£                                          £¶*†-.,.¨,
,.«:^$%&$& somethings moving  in  the  grass.  it's &$&%$^:«.,
.^-*%&§#@# invisible  to my  eyes  but i  can  feel #@#§&%*-^.
¨¨,..¨,~*@ through the ground just how large it is. @*~,¨..,¨¨
¨:«;*%#@@#                                          #@@#%*;«:¨
¨~=:%$%%*¶ the soil is muddy. i  slip  when  trying ¶*%%$%:=~¨
,,»:*%&¶@@ to  get  up,   still   looking  at   the @@¶&%*:»,,
¨^~^=@£### direction  of  sound rather  than at  my ###£@=^~^¨
.,.^«\&§%¶ hands, who  are  busy putting  things in ¶%§&\«^.,.
¨,,~:-^†%§               my pockets.                §%†^-:~,,¨
,~;*&£#@##                                          ##@#£&*;~,
,,»:%$§### then   i  run   east  toward  my   home. ###§$%:»,,
.:~^$&§¶@#                                          #@¶§&$^~:.
¨,~†§&#@##                    \                     ##@#&§†~,¨
.:~;%&¤£##                                          ##£¤&%;~:.
.,~/%%&@@# i am not followed,  and slow down in the #@@&%%/~,.
.,«=*§#### clearing  where  you  at  first can spot ####§*=«,.
¨^«:§§§### the  house,  not   yet  really   in  the ###§§§:«^¨
¨::«~^*@¤¤ backyard. from  my pockets i retrieve my ¤¤@*^~«::¨
,¨.¨.«†^#@ radio  (now  dented) but  also  a  small @#^†«.¨.¨,
¨~~/$@#### clay figure  i've never  seen before. it ####@$/~~¨
¨¨,^»«:†*¤ must  have been laying in the wet  dirt, ¤*†:«»^,¨¨
¨.¨,,~:=%# and  i  must've picked  it  up  with  my #%=:~,,¨.¨
.-«\^*&###            other belongings.             ###&*^\«-.
¨¨:-:=^%%@                                          @%%^=:-:¨¨
.¨..»*%@¤# it's a statuette of  a girl laying naked #¤@%*»..¨.
,¨,.=%$$$# 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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.¨-=^;£#@#                                          #@#£;^=-¨.