.:»*†@####                                          ####@†*»:.
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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 @@#&¤%†«,,
,.=§$£@###              throw it away.              ###@£$§=.,
¨:«=/;£$£#                                          #£$£;/=«:¨
,~~^%£¤@##                                          ##@¤£%^~~,
¨,=:†£@###                                          ###@£†:=,¨
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,:~†%$&£##                                          ##£&$%†~:,
,,=/^¤£###                                          ###£¤^/=,,