.¨¨..,^£&§                                          §&£^,..¨¨.
,:»=%££¶@#                                          #@¶££%=»:,
,~^%£§@###                                          ###@§£%^~,
,.~^*££@##                                          ##@££*^~.,
.-«\*@&###                                          ###&@*\«-.
.,=:*£§@@#                 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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