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