,:~†^@¤###                                          ###¤@^†~:,
,.~.~«\%£#                                          #£%\«~.~.,
..~,^:^@¶#                                          #¶@^:^,~..
.-=^%¤§#@#                                          #@#§¤%^=-.
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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.              ##@¶&%=»:¨
.,¨,,::$%#                                          #%$::,,¨,.
¨^=*†@¤&@&                                          &@&¤@†*=^¨
¨~~=$%£#@#                                          #@#£%$=~~¨
,:-»*†=†§@                                          @§†=†*»-:,
,,-;†%#££#                                          #££#%†;-,,
,.~*$%#¶@#                                          #@¶#%$*~.,