.^»†*%#@@#                                          #@@#%*†»^.
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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 ##@@@$^«:.
.^~^%@££##              throw it away.              ##££@%^~^.
¨-»:=^*%*#                                          #*%*^=:»-¨
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,,=^$*#¶@#                                          #@¶#*$^=,,
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