,,¨.,:§@@@                                          @@@§:,.¨,,
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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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