¨,-††£@£&¶                                          ¶&£@£††-,¨
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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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¨.¨-»^*££#                                          #££*^»-¨.¨
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