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