,~=**$¤£##                                          ##£¤$**=~,
¨-=;^$@#@#                                          #@#@$^;=-¨
...¨¨,«†£&                                          &£†«,¨¨...
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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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,^=\$$%££@                                          @££%$$\=^,
,~=;*¤&##@                                          @##&¤*;=~,