.,»†=/*£@#                                          #@£*/=†»,.
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.-~*%%%§#£                statuette                 £#§%%%*~-.
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.,¨¨-=**## §%££$%*£§¤&%£§£§««~=~»«-§£$£¤%¤¤%&¤%*¤$¤ ##**=-¨¨,.
..-:*$¤@@#                @@&£@£%%£                 #@@¤$*:-..
,.»:†@@@##                                          ##@@@†:».,
¨~«*%$&#£# 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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