,--^@§@@##                                          ##@@§@^--,
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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 £$%-.,..,¨
¨,.¨¨,~%§& particle  board for it  to dry  on,  but &§%~,¨¨.,¨
¨,»^=%£### she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to ###£%=^»,¨
.¨.,.¨~~*&              throw it away.              &*~~¨.,.¨.
,¨¨,^^^$@£                                          £@$^^^,¨¨,
.,¨¨.-*@¶#                                          #¶@*-.¨¨,.
.^~\*£@¶£#                                          #£¶@£*\~^.
¨^«†%££@@#                                          #@@££%†«^¨
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¨,»;%¤$@£¶                                          ¶£@$¤%;»,¨