,,¨¨..^*@@                                          @@*^..¨¨,,
¨¨,,»=*†§&                                          &§†*=»,,¨¨
,~~^^¤¤#@@                                          @@#¤¤^^~~,
¨^-\*&¤¶##                                          ##¶¤&*\-^¨
,,»\%§@@##                                          ##@@§%\»,,
.-~:%§§@##                 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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