¨¨,.~%@&#@                                          @#&@%~.,¨¨
¨,,==£@#@#                                          #@#@£==,,¨
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¨¨¨,^-^&§@                 statuette                @§&^-^,¨¨¨
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¨¨^«%@£### *$@$%££$&*§§@$$*~«-~-«==£$%££*@£¤*£$§&§$ ###£@%«^¨¨
¨,~§£#¶###                $$£§£@@%§                 ###¶#£§~,¨
¨,,»=£¤¶##                                          ##¶¤£=»,,¨
,¨.-«§$§## forests  around my childhood home. thick ##§$§«-.¨,
,.,.~=^&£@ 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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