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