¨-»=$#¶###                                          ###¶#$=»-¨
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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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.,~»\£££##                                          ##£££\»~,.
..~/%£####                                          ####£%/~..