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