,~-\=%&@@#                                          #@@&%=\-~,
¨,-~\*$££#                                          #££$*\~-,¨
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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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,.¨¨=-:*§@                                          @§*:-=¨¨.,