,.~~==£@@#                                          #@@£==~~.,
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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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