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