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