¨¨.~^*=$£¶                                          ¶£$=*^~.¨¨
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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 ##¶#§%;»,.
¨,~;$§&¶##              throw it away.              ##¶&§$;~,¨
¨.¨.¨^~=§§                                          §§=~^¨.¨.¨
,,~*†¤£¤£@                                          @£¤£¤†*~,,
,^«^§§£@##                                          ##@£§§^«^,
¨,«*%£$¤£#                                          #£¤$£%*«,¨
¨~«»^=^££§                                          §££^=^»«~¨
.,.,~*=§##                                          ##§=*~,.,.