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