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