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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 ##£&$††=-.
.,¨.:=†^&&              throw it away.              &&^†=:.¨,.
,¨.^:*¤@##                                          ##@¤*:^.¨,
,,-:%@¤#@#                                          #@#¤@%:-,,
,~-:=££#@#                                          #@#££=:-~,
.^«/$@@£#@                                          @#£@@$/«^.
.^«^%$¤###                                          ###¤$%^«^.
,.¨.:,^=§¶                                          ¶§=^,:.¨.,