..¨~~:=££@                                          @££=:~~¨..
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,¨.,,~*%£#                                          #£%*~,,.¨,
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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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