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