¨.¨^=:*£#@                                          @#£*:=^¨.¨
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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. $==^¨,,...
¨.¨¨...:-/                                          /-:...¨¨.¨
¨¨,,.,-«;^ my mom is here  now. i  ask her for some ^;«-,.,,¨¨
¨.¨...«=%% particle  board for  it to  dry on,  but %%=«...¨.¨
.¨¨,,~^*@¤ she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to ¤@*^~,,¨¨.
¨..:~^*%&@              throw it away.              @&%*^~:..¨
¨,~=†%§£##                                          ##£§%†=~,¨
¨.~\†%&£##                                          ##£&%†\~.¨
.,,~\§$@@@                                          @@@$§\~,,.
.,,.~*§$¤#                                          #¤$§*~.,,.
¨¨.,-=:$*§                                          §*$:=-,.¨¨
¨,¨.¨:«/%$                                          $%/«:¨.¨,¨