.^~*=§§###                                          ###§§=*~^.
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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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