,¨,.,*^%¤@                                          @¤%^*,.,¨,
¨--*%*@¶@#                                          #@¶@*%*--¨
¨:-\^¤£###                                          ###£¤^\-:¨
,~-:†¤¤@##                                          ##@¤¤†:-~,
.^-*=§@@@#                                          #@@@§=*-^.
¨,,~:†§@#£                 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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..,^.:=^£&                                          &£^=:.^,..
,,«:^£@@@@                                          @@@@£^:«,,
,-.,-†*&#@                                          @#&*†-,.-,
.,»†^@@@##                                          ##@@@^†»,.