¨,~\†$§@##                                          ##@§$†\~,¨
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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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