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