,,«=%$¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤$%=«,,
¨.-~==££#@                                          @#££==~-.¨
...,«\*%##                                          ##%*\«,...
,,,,,~;%@£                                          £@%;~,,,,,
,,¨¨..=^%*                                          *%^=..¨¨,,
¨..¨¨,~-\$                 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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