,,~;**¤@#@                                          @#@¤**;~,,
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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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