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