,--^=@#@@@                                          @@@#@=^--,
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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.              #@†§~,~.¨¨
..,.¨:~$§£                                          £§$~:¨.,..
,¨,¨¨,»*£@                                          @£*»,¨¨,¨,
¨.,¨¨,=\¤@                                          @¤\=,¨¨,.¨
¨,,-~»:%@&                                          &@%:»~-,,¨
.~~\*£££##                                          ##£££*\~~.
..¨-^:;@@£                                          £@@;:^-¨..