,^~/%£&#@#                                          #@#&£%/~^,
¨:~;%£&#@@                                          @@#&£%;~:¨
¨,¨.¨«%†&£                                          £&†%«¨.¨,¨
,-,»^*£@$#                                          #$@£*^»,-,
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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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