¨.«†§$&###                                          ###&$§†«.¨
,,,-:^£@£#                                          #£@£^:-,,,
..«/**£¶##                                          ##¶£**/«..
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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   ##¶§£$\«,¨
¨,:«:*%§@# freshly made, not yet completely  dried. #@§%*:«:,¨
,.~/%%§@##                                          ##@§%%/~.,
.¨~~†=*### my mom is  here now. i ask her  for some ###*=†~~¨.
.-==^£¤¶## particle board for  it to  dry  on,  but ##¶¤£^==-.
,,,-*§&§## she   is   worried   and  wants   me  to ##§&§*-,,,
,:~/^£&@##              throw it away.              ##@&£^/~:,
,,--/%&¤£#                                          #£¤&%/--,,
.:~†*@#@##                                          ##@#@*†~:.
¨,:»\=*§@#                                          #@§*=\»:,¨
..~†=*&£##                                          ##£&*=†~..
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¨~=/$¤#@##                                          ##@#¤$/=~¨