.¨,~†^&#@@                                          @@#&^†~,¨.
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.¨.~»\%&§£                 statuette                £§&%\»~.¨.
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¨.-;§§£#@# @*$¤%@¤¤*%%&¤@&&~~»«»»=»%$@&@£@%&$%*¤$$& #@#£§§;-.¨
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,,.:=*†§&@                                          @&§†*=:.,,
,,¨,^~:%%# 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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