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