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