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