,.~*^£@@@#                                          #@@@£^*~.,
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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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