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