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