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