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