,¨.¨,^-/^£                                          £^/-^,¨.¨,
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¨¨,.,-\%$£                statuette                 £$%\-,.,¨¨
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¨.:«=*$¶@# £$¤&*%$&¤&£*$£&@»~=»~~~»¤@£&&%&£§$§@§§£¤ #@¶$*=«:.¨
¨-»;†££###                %£$&§@&$¤                 ###££†;»-¨
¨.~~^†$###                                          ###$†^~~.¨
¨¨,:==^£@# 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 #@@$†^»-.¨
¨,¨.»^%@@# particle  board  for  it to dry on,  but #@@%^».¨,¨
.¨,,.-;^*# she  is  worried   and   wants   me   to #*^;-.,,¨.
.,,¨,^-/*§              throw it away.              §*/-^,¨,,.
..¨,¨.--=§                                          §=--.¨,¨..
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¨...:=/*$£                                          £$*/=:...¨
¨¨¨,=;$%@#                                          #@%$;=,¨¨¨