..¨^=^%§£@                                          @£§%^=^¨..
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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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