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