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