.^«†%%@#@£                                          £@#@%%†«^.
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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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¨....=*¤£@                                          @£¤*=....¨
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