..=:%§#@@#                                          #@@#§%:=..
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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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,-~**%@@##                                          ##@@%**~-,