.,~*§^§£#@                                          @#£§^§*~,.
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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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,.¨~:\$¤*¤                                          ¤*¤$\:~¨.,