¨.,.,~*@¤#                                          #¤@*~,.,.¨
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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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,,¨,..-^*£                                          £*^-..,¨,,
¨,=^†§¤#@#                                          #@#¤§†^=,¨