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