¨,»†^£####                                          ####£^†»,¨
,,,¨¨,†;$&                                          &$;†,¨¨,,,
,,»^=*@#@#                                          #@#@*=^»,,
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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.             @¤&£$§†=..
¨,»:^*@###                                          ###@*^:»,¨
.,~\§@&@## it's a statuette of  a girl laying naked ##@&@§\~,.
,.==%§#@## on  her  stomach,  feet  in   the   air, ##@#§%==.,
,.¨,.,~^%#   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   #%^~,.,¨.,
.¨,¨¨~^%£@ freshly made, not yet  completely dried. @£%^~¨¨,¨.
,~==^$&###                                          ###&$^==~,
.:~^†%§#@# my mom is here  now.  i ask her for some #@#§%†^~:.
¨,..,.^=§£ particle  board for  it to  dry  on, but £§=^.,..,¨
¨,=/*¤§#@# she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to #@#§¤*/=,¨
¨.¨.,«\^%#              throw it away.              #%^\«,.¨.¨
..¨,«\%&¤@                                          @¤&%\«,¨..
¨...¨,«=$¤                                          ¤$=«,¨...¨
,^,^»~/*$&                                          &$*/~»^,^,
¨,~/*%§@#@                                          @#@§%*/~,¨
¨,,:†:%$$#                                          #$$%:†:,,¨
.¨..¨,,~%¤                                          ¤%~,,¨..¨.