,,~:†££¶##                                          ##¶££†:~,,
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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.              #@@@%^\=^.
.,~*%@££##                                          ##££@%*~,.
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