..,,,,-^£¶                                          ¶£^-,,,,..
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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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