,-~==$££¤#                                          #¤££$==~-,
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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 #£@¤$†^=:¨
¨.,,»;^:%# she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to #%:^;»,,.¨
,-~;†£¤£@#              throw it away.              #@£¤£†;~-,
...,.~§%%#                                          #%%§~.,...
.^»††$§¤##                                          ##¤§$††»^.
.~~/$$¤###                                          ###¤$$/~~.
,,~=^$@££#                                          #££@$^=~,,
¨^»:=§§@@#                                          #@@§§=:»^¨
,,-;*$@¶##                                          ##¶@$*;-,,