.¨,¨.==%##                                          ##%==.¨,¨.
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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.              ##@#£*†-~,
..-†%£¤@##                                          ##@¤£%†-..
..¨¨,¨,^$#                                          #$^,¨,¨¨..
.,-,,~=\§@                                          @§\=~,,-,.
¨~~;%¤#¶@#                                          #@¶#¤%;~~¨
,,~/%&§¶##                                          ##¶§&%/~,,
.,¨¨¨=**§§                                          §§**=¨¨¨,.