¨¨:~††£@@@                                          @@@£††~:¨¨
,.¨:~:%£££                                          £££%:~:¨.,
,¨¨¨~»*=%&                                          &%=*»~¨¨¨,
..,,¨~»=*@                                          @*=»~¨,,..
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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   #¤$*-,..¨,
..¨~»**%&@ freshly made, not yet completely  dried. @&%**»~¨..
¨..=†%%¤@#                                          #@¤%%†=..¨
,^-^=%&### my mom  is here now. i ask  her for some ###&%=^-^,
,¨~~^*@¤@# particle  board  for it to  dry  on, but #@¤@*^~~¨,
,¨.-~:**¤# she   is   worried   and  wants   me  to #¤**:~-.¨,
,..¨-~^*%§              throw it away.              §%*^~-¨..,
.,¨..:~*%@                                          @%*~:..¨,.
¨..,.¨-~^$                                          $^~-¨.,..¨
¨¨¨...,^-;                                          ;-^,...¨¨¨
¨¨,,.¨¨.:-                                          -:.¨¨.,,¨¨
¨¨¨,¨,¨~~:                                          :~~¨,¨,¨¨¨
,.,¨,.~»††                                          ††»~.,¨,.,