.,-^†&$&@£                                          £@&$&†^-,.
.^~~/=†¤¤§                                          §¤¤†=/~~^.
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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.              #@£§¤$^«^,
.,~*^§&@##                                          ##@&§^*~,.
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.~~:=$¤###                                          ###¤$=:~~.
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¨,,..^=£@£                                          £@£=^..,,¨
,,-/=*@###                                          ###@*=/-,,