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