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