,¨.,«=§£¶¶                                          ¶¶£§=«,.¨,
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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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