¨,-;%£##@#                                          #@##£%;-,¨
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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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...:=\%*@#                                          #@*%\=:...