,¨,.,/%*#£                                          £#*%/,.,¨,
¨:~=$%£¶##                                          ##¶£%$=~:¨
.¨.¨¨¨¨»$&                                          &$»¨¨¨¨.¨.
,,-\^*##@#                                          #@##*^\-,,
,.-**&@###                                          ###@&**-.,
¨.~^$%¤¶@#                statuette                 #@¶¤%$^~.¨
.:-*$§@&&@                                          @&&@§$*-:.
¨,,.,.^%£@ @$£¤£%*¤£$£&%%@§»~»~»»«»££%&£*$%%%*$*£§@ @£%^.,.,,¨
,¨.,~~:;*£                £%£%$%££§                 £*;:~~,.¨,
.,~*=%¤£##                                          ##£¤%=*~,.
,:~**££@@# forests around my  childhood home. thick #@@££**~:,
¨:«^§£@### pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and ###@£§^«:¨
.,~\^%&£@@      forgotten. wild boars roaming       @@£&%^\~,.
¨,¨,.---=@ underneath, sniffing  at the  ground. it @=---.,¨,¨
.^»:%$&@## 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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.,-*†¤@¶#@                                          @#¶@¤†*-,.