.:-^†¤&@##                                          ##@&¤†^-:.
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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 #$†~.,,.,.
,¨,,.¨,;¤@ clay figure i've  never seen  before. it @¤;,¨.,,¨,
,.¨,:=¤@@@ must  have been laying  in the wet dirt, @@@¤=:,¨.,
..~:=%&£## and  i  must've  picked  it  up with  my ##£&%=:~..
.-~†&@#@##            other belongings.             ##@#@&†~-.
..,:::-:@@                                          @@:-:::,..
¨~=†*%@¶@# it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked #@¶@%*†=~¨
.,«\*&££&£ on  her  stomach,  feet   in  the   air, £&££&*\«,.
.,«/†£&###   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ###&£†/«,.
¨:»^%*##@# freshly made, not yet completely  dried. #@##*%^»:¨
.:-/%$§@##                                          ##@§$%/-:.
,~»:%¤§£## my mom  is  here now. i ask her for some ##£§¤%:»~,
¨¨,¨,~»%&£ particle  board  for  it to  dry on, but £&%»~,¨,¨¨
.-=~=~†%¶# she  is  worried   and   wants   me   to #¶%†~=~=-.
¨,~^%*@@##              throw it away.              ##@@*%^~,¨
¨,~:*§¤@##                                          ##@¤§*:~,¨
,~\=$&£@##                                          ##@£&$=\~,
¨^-*†¤£@##                                          ##@£¤†*-^¨
,,.¨¨~^*%@                                          @%*^~¨¨.,,
¨¨.¨.»*#@¶                                          ¶@#*».¨.¨¨
,,-;%£&###                                          ###&£%;-,,