¨.,.,~=*£§                                          §£*=~,.,.¨
.¨..¨==†£&                                          &£†==¨..¨.
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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 @@@¤$*^~~.
,..,.~%@@¶ she   is  worried   and  wants   me   to ¶@@%~.,..,
¨:~:*@£@##              throw it away.              ##@£@*:~:¨
,,,,,»~*=£                                          £=*~»,,,,,
,,¨.,¨-$*&                                          &*$-¨,.¨,,
¨^~\$*&@##                                          ##@&*$\~^¨
¨~~/§%@#@#                                          #@#@%§/~~¨
.,=^**#@##                                          ##@#**^=,.
,~«:*%§¶##                                          ##¶§%*:«~,