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