¨.-=*$%£##                                          ##£%$*=-.¨
,.,,~*$%§@                                          @§%$*~,,.,
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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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¨.,=:$*@@#                                          #@@*$:=,.¨