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