..~-:;§£¶¶                                          ¶¶£§;:-~..
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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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..,¨-/^§#@                                          @#§^/-¨,..
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¨,~/*£&@##                                          ##@&£*/~,¨