,«**¤@@###                                          ###@@¤**«,
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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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¨.¨¨,^»=*@                                          @*=»^,¨¨.¨
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¨¨.,,=†$#@                                          @#$†=,,.¨¨