¨.^=^$¤£@#                                          #@£¤$^=^.¨
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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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