.¨.,,«/£@@                                          @@£/«,,.¨.
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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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