.¨,,,~^%£&                                          &£%^~,,,¨.
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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.              ##@#£*;»^¨
¨,~\=§@@##                                          ##@@§=\~,¨
.,.,.-=%*@                                          @*%=-.,.,.
.¨¨^»=/*£#                                          #£*/=»^¨¨.
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