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