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