,.»^$¤§###                                          ###§¤$^».,
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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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,-«*†££###                                          ###££†*«-,