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