,-~\%*&#@#                                          #@#&*%\~-,
...~;/¤£##                                          ##£¤/;~...
..=/=$¤@@#                                          #@@¤$=/=..
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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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