,^~\=£§###                                          ###§£=\~^,
,,.~;§@&##                                          ##&@§;~.,,
,,..=:%£@#                                          #@£%:=..,,
..,»/†£@##                                          ##@£†/»,..
,.-:%£¤###                                          ###¤£%:-.,
.,,~\%§&##                 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   @#¤$;«,¨¨¨
¨.,~/^%### freshly made, not yet completely  dried. ###%^/~,.¨
,~-\§$####                                          ####$§\-~,
,..-^*£@@# my mom is here now.  i  ask her for some #@@£*^-..,
,,,:»/^¤&# particle board  for it  to  dry on,  but #&¤^/»:,,,
..-«^*%¤## she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to ##¤%*^«-..
.,«^%§@###              throw it away.              ###@§%^«,.
¨.:«=$&@##                                          ##@&$=«:.¨
.¨,,==*%&#                                          #&%*==,,¨.
¨.^~^=£&@#                                          #@&£=^~^.¨
.:=/%@&###                                          ###&@%/=:.
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.¨¨,~/$¤¤@                                          @¤¤$/~,¨¨.