¨...://¤£#                                          #£¤//:...¨
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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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,,,-;^^&¤§                                          §¤&^^;-,,,