,,»*=¤&@£¶                                          ¶£@&¤=*»,,
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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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..«;%*¤###                                          ###¤*%;«..