¨¨¨~»**£@@                                          @@£**»~¨¨¨
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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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,,.¨¨¨~~^§                                          §^~~¨¨¨.,,
¨.¨¨¨:~/%£                                          £%/~:¨¨¨.¨