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