¨.¨,=~~%@@                                          @@%~~=,¨.¨
,,¨,¨,††££                                          ££††,¨,¨,,
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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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