,,~=$£#@@#                                          #@@#£$=~,,
¨,«*%££@##                                          ##@££%*«,¨
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.,«^=@&@##                                          ##@&@=^«,.
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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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,,,.»=*%&&                                          &&%*=».,,,