.,¨,,¨.~^&                                          &^~.¨,,¨,.
.^=\§¤@#@#                                          #@#@¤§\=^.
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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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,-»==^%@%#                                          #%@%^==»-,