,,-^*£¤#@#                                          #@#¤£*^-,,
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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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