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