¨~-*%£§¶##                                          ##¶§£%*-~¨
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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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