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