¨,«\§&#@##                                          ##@#&§\«,¨
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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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