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