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