.:~~~^@@¶#                                          #¶@@^~~~:.
.-«;^$&@@#                                          #@@&$^;«-.
.¨,-~**^%§                                          §%^**~-,¨.
.¨.,««*^§@                                          @§^*««,.¨.
,,»*^%&###                                          ###&%^*»,,
¨,«/†$£###                statuette                 ###£$†/«,¨
¨:«/%£¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤£%/«:¨
¨¨¨^~~,~*& $$*&§¤££%£$£*$&$-~«=«»»=%££$¤§§$%§£&$&%£ &*~,~~^¨¨¨
,¨¨.^^^%@&                 @@%$%£*$$                &@%^^^.¨¨,
¨.~==££@##                                          ##@££==~.¨
¨^-\*†£$*@ forests around my childhood  home. thick @*$£†*\-^¨
.-»†%@&¶@@ 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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,¨,~~^*%&§                                          §&%*^~~,¨,
,,«\*$@@##                                          ##@@$*\«,,