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