¨,«**%#@##                                          ##@#%**«,¨
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.,..«=†££#                                          #££†=«..,.
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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.              ####@¤:-,.
.¨,:-=;*†&                                          &†*;=-:,¨.
,^«:†§&###                                          ###&§†:«^,
.¨¨,¨¨¨~*£                                          £*~¨¨¨,¨¨.
,:==%£££#@                                          @#£££%==:,
.^~†&&####                                          ####&&†~^.
.¨,.;§%*¤#                                          #¤*%§;.,¨.