.¨.~~**£§#                                          #§£**~~.¨.
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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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,.¨,¨~»**%                                          %**»~¨,¨.,