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