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