..»/*£¤¶##                                          ##¶¤£*/»..
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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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,-=†=%&#@#                                          #@#&%=†=-,