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