....=;$£@@                                          @@£$;=....
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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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,.-**&£@##                                          ##@£&**-.,