¨-~*$£#£##                                          ##£#£$*~-¨
¨,»*§££###                                          ###££§*»,¨
¨,.,,.~%§&                                          &§%~.,,.,¨
¨~»/†%@#@#                                          #@#@%†/»~¨
,.-;§*#@@#                                          #@@#*§;-.,
¨^-=*%^$¤#                 statuette                #¤$^%*=-^¨
,-«;=%¤###                                          ###¤%=;«-,
¨:~:%§##@# &$*$¤@$£@$¤$$£$¤-«=»«~«»&%¤&£@£¤@£$*&£§% #@##§%:~:¨
.¨,¨,,,\%£                 @¤@$*§%%§                £%\,,,¨,¨.
¨¨.,,-§=£@                                          @£=§-,,.¨¨
.^~^†¤£¶## forests  around my childhood home. thick ##¶£¤†^~^.
¨,«;*£@### pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and ###@£*;«,¨
,,=†^%@¶#@       forgotten. wild boars roaming      @#¶@%^†=,,
¨,~\%&@#@@ underneath,  sniffing  at the ground. it @@#@&%\~,¨
..»†*§£¶@# is  dark and  moist,  the canopy  having #@¶£§*†»..
.^=:%%§#@# already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. #@#§%%:=^.
¨.«\†%§¶@#                                          #@¶§%†\«.¨
.,»:**¤¶## there's a river  passing  by, from  east ##¶¤**:»,.
.,..=%%@@# to west,  getting broader and deeper and #@@%%=..,.
,-~/$%@#@# 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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..=;*%#@@#                                          #@@#%*;=..