.^»:^&#@##                                          ##@#&^:»^.
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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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