¨,,^-\%&§£                                          £§&%\-^,,¨
,¨,=:†§&£#                                          #£&§†:=,¨,
.~~/*££###                                          ###££*/~~.
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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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