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