.--==&#@£#                                          #£@#&==--.
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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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.,.,~*§=£@                                          @£=§*~,.,.