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