¨:«/†$§#££                                          ££#§$†/«:¨
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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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..~/=£#@£@                                          @£@#£=/~..
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.¨¨¨¨¨^=*@                                          @*=^¨¨¨¨¨.