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