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