..=:†@£#@@                                          @@#£@†:=..
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,:=^†£§###                 statuette                ###§£†^=:,
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,.¨..¨^;@¶ &*%@§*§%@£§§¤$%$~~«~~«»«£¤$*%%%&£¤*£*@%£ ¶@;^¨..¨.,
,,~*^$£@##                 $§&@@%@$£                ##@£$^*~,,
¨,«†=£@@##                                          ##@@£=†«,¨
.~«=$%§@## 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 @£@@$*/-~.
,~«:†££@@# through light, horsemint  on  the  rocky #@@££†:«~,
.~»;:^†§&&                river bed.                &&§†^:;»~.
,,-=*$¤£@#                                          #@£¤$*=-,,
,..,~~=†^£                    :                     £^†=~~,..,
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¨--\$%£&£# the  riverbanks reek of  magic.  tonight #£&£%$\--¨
,:«/*£@¶@# 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. ##@£§%†«:.
,,~:=\\%£@                                          @£%\\=:~,,
¨.«;*£¤@##                    †                     ##@¤£*;«.¨
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¨-=;*$£@@# i am not followed, and slow down  in the #@@£$*;=-¨
.:~/%&@### 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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