.~~†%$£¶##                                          ##¶£$%†~~.
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,,--~=$§¤#                                          #¤§$=~--,,
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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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,~==%@¤@@#                                          #@@¤@%==~,