,.~:=$¤@@#                                          #@@¤$=:~.,
¨.~»-»%§##                                          ##§%»-»~.¨
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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.      ¤¤§=%*/=:¨
,¨¨.,*$$£#                                          #£$$*,.¨¨,
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,^-;§£@@@@                                          @@@@£§;-^,
,,~*†§¤@## 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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¨¨,..:=*¤£                                          £¤*=:..,¨¨