.~-\†£@###                                          ###@£†\-~.
,^«†§$££##                                          ##££$§†«^,
,,~;=£#¶##                                          ##¶#£=;~,,
.¨....~:£§                                          §£:~....¨.
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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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