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