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