.:»:=£§£@#                                          #@£§£=:»:.
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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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.~»;%§¤&@#                                          #@&¤§%;»~.
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.--*=¤@¶@#                                          #@¶@¤=*--.