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