¨,,-\*¤£##                                          ##£¤*\-,,¨
¨,,:«;^£§@                                          @§£^;«:,,¨
...=*$§#£#                                          #£#§$*=...
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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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