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