¨¨,-^$^£¤@                                          @¤£^$^-,¨¨
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.:~:*£§@##                                          ##@§£*:~:.
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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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