¨^-*%£§@##                                          ##@§£%*-^¨
¨¨.,.-^†@@                                          @@†^-.,.¨¨
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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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