¨¨,.~/†*#@                                          @#*†/~.,¨¨
¨,,¨,.»%£@                                          @£%».,¨,,¨
,:-/§§¶@##                                          ##@¶§§/-:,
,¨,..†**@#                                          #@**†..,¨,
¨,»^%@££##                                          ##££@%^»,¨
,.,-=~:=£§                 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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¨.^,;**$§@                                          @§$**;,^.¨