..,,.:%£§£                                          £§£%:.,,..
¨¨,¨.=^@¶@                                          @¶@^=.¨,¨¨
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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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