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