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