,...,«$£¤@                                          @¤£$«,...,
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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.              §&$/\,,.¨,
.,=†§££###                                          ###££§†=,.
.-~\%¤¤@##                                          ##@¤¤%\~-.
.--;$§@#@#                                          #@#@§$;--.
.,==†&£@@#                                          #@@£&†==,.
.,..,¨,»%&                                          &%»,¨,..,.
,^»*%¤#£#£                                          £#£#¤%*»^,