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