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