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