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