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