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