,,,,:\==@£                                          £@==\:,,,,
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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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.,-†§$£@§#                                          #§@£$§†-,.