,,~:=§¤@@#                                          #@@¤§=:~,,
,-~††&§@@#                                          #@@§&††~-,
..¨:~*£¤##                                          ##¤£*~:¨..
...~:*§@&@                                          @&@§*:~...
,,»†§&&@#@                                          @#@&&§†»,,
¨-=-~==*##                 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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,~~†§£££@#                                          #@£££§†~~,
¨,«/^%&@##                                          ##@&%^/«,¨