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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.              #@#@%**~,,
,¨,,¨¨~§##                                          ##§~¨¨,,¨,
¨:-^^*¤£##                                          ##£¤*^^-:¨
¨:«/*@£¶##                                          ##¶£@*/«:¨
..«^%%@#@#                                          #@#@%%^«..
..¨.^~†@&&                                          &&@†~^.¨..
¨^»**@&@@#                                          #@@&@**»^¨