¨.¨..«**@@                                          @@**«..¨.¨
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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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