,.¨:««*$*£                                          £*$*««:¨.,
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¨:==*£¤££#                                          #££¤£*==:¨
..~†*£¶###                                          ###¶£*†~..
¨,«^/$*§#§                                          §#§*$/^«,¨
.¨¨,,-,=$#                statuette                 #$=,-,,¨¨.
,.~^§§§###                                          ###§§§^~.,
¨,.,.-«**# %$§*$&¤¤&*£££*%§=«=~-=~~%@*£*&&&£$**£@$@ #**«-.,.,¨
,.,¨..,=†@                &@$*§§**$                 @†=,..¨,.,
¨,~*^£§£##                                          ##£§£^*~,¨
,-«*%£@@#@ 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 ##£&*:=«^,
,,.,.:$*&# she   is  worried  and   wants   me   to #&*$:.,.,,
¨:~:$£¤###              throw it away.              ###¤£$:~:¨
.,=*%@¤@@#                                          #@@¤@%*=,.
¨-=^^£#@##                                          ##@#£^^=-¨
¨-^~;%£@@@                                          @@@£%;~^-¨
,^=;%&@#@#                                          #@#@&%;=^,
,,..=;**@¤                                          ¤@**;=..,,
..,.»$*@%@                                          @%@*$».,..