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