..~-«††§@@                                          @@§††«-~..
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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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