,,~;§¤@§§&                                          &§§@¤§;~,,
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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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,~=/†%£§%¶                                          ¶%§£%†/=~,
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