¨.¨=~^;%#@                                          @#%;^~=¨.¨
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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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