¨.~«»»†@$#                                          #$@†»»«~.¨
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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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,~«/$%####                                          ####%$/«~,