¨,,¨¨¨=%@£                                          £@%=¨¨¨,,¨
...,¨~%$$#                                          #$$%~¨,...
.^-;†@§£##                                          ##£§@†;-^.
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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 ##@#**;=~¨
.,,~~$%&£#              throw it away.              #£&%$~~,,.
¨^=;†&@@##                                          ##@@&†;=^¨
,.¨--^&¤¤@                                          @¤¤&^--¨.,
,^\%¤@@###                                          ###@@¤%\^,
,..¨,.»*&@                                          @&*».,¨..,
¨..~†\\/%§                                          §%/\\†~..¨
.^»\%&£@@#                                          #@@£&%\»^.