..,,\*§£¤@                                          @¤£§*\,,..
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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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,-~==¤¤@##                                          ##@¤¤==~-,