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