.^»^$@§@@@                                          @@@§@$^»^.
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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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