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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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