..¨.¨»§@£@                                          @£@§»¨.¨..
¨.~:^£####                                          ####£^:~.¨
,¨,¨.~*¤@&                                          &@¤*~.¨,¨,
,,...:\¤§£                                          £§¤\:...,,
,:=*$£&@##                                          ##@&£$*=:,
..¨..:\/$£                 statuette                £$/\:..¨..
¨,,¨~*\*@§                                          §@*\*~¨,,¨
.~^*$§¶### %*£$%£&&££*£%*$$«~~==~«=££%@%£££§%$%$@@% ###¶§$*^~.
,,.,...»§¤                 §£%£*¤£$£                ¤§»...,.,,
,.¨^~=¤%#£                                          £#%¤=~^¨.,
,^~=†$§£## forests around  my childhood home. thick ##£§$†=~^,
,:«;$&@@## pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and ##@@&$;«:,
,.=:$&*$§¤      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ¤§$*&$:=.,
¨.~/^%£#¶@ underneath, sniffing  at  the ground. it @¶#£%^/~.¨
.,~†§¤§### is dark  and  moist,  the  canopy having ###§¤§†~,.
...,¨.~†%§ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. §%†~.¨,...
¨^«=*§¤@@#                                          #@@¤§*=«^¨
.¨,¨«^^@£@ there's a river  passing  by,  from east @£@^^«¨,¨.
,,,,,»^£@@ to  west, getting broader and deeper and @@£^»,,,,,
....,:/*¤¶ slower  as it  goes. equisetum grow just ¶¤*/:,....
.,¨,,,^$¤# where   the  pine  hands  start  to  let #¤$^,,,¨,.
,.=^§@¤¶## through  light, horsemint on  the  rocky ##¶¤@§^=.,
,.,:*†=^^£                river bed.                £^^=†*:,.,
..»:*¤££@#                                          #@££¤*:»..
,~:$$@#@##                    *                     ##@#@$$:~,
..~=%§&###                                          ###&§%=~..
¨,«;%*£@@# the riverbanks  reek of  magic.  tonight #@@£*%;«,¨
¨,~†*¤&@## they  had  been a swampworld with sylvan ##@&¤*†~,¨
¨.-/§*#@## water,  stone  rings and floating  moss. ##@#*§/-.¨
¨,«^^^$%$# you could've found  me  wallowing around #$%$^^^«,¨
,:-==¤&¤#£ on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got £#¤&¤==-:,
¨~»~«=:;%@                 bitten.                  @%;:=«~»~¨
¨¨¨.¨~;*&#                                          #&*;~¨.¨¨¨
.,==†£&@## but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid ##@&£†==,.
,^«†%†§@££ ground,  in shoulder-high grass, with an ££@§†%†«^,
.^-=§*§#@# orange   tin  radio  and  a  translucent #@#§*§=-^.
.,»/^£§$%@      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      @%$§£^/»,.
.-~;*%£¶##                                          ##¶£%*;~-.
¨¨,,^:/^%§                    *                     §%^/:^,,¨¨
¨^»†%£@@¶@                                          @¶@@£%†»^¨
¨,~^*¤§@## somethings  moving  in  the  grass. it's ##@§¤*^~,¨
,¨.,¨:~^¤£ invisible to  my  eyes  but  i  can feel £¤^~:¨,.¨,
,.~*§@§@#@ through the ground just how large it is. @#@§@§*~.,
.¨^:=*¤££#                                          #££¤*=:^¨.
.,«/*%@### the  soil  is  muddy. i slip when trying ###@%*/«,.
.,»«=$¤¤@¶ to   get  up,   still  looking  at   the ¶@¤¤$=«»,.
.,~^=%##@# direction of  sound rather  than  at  my #@##%=^~,.
.,«/$$¤### 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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