^«\=£@@###                                          ###@@£=\«^
.-~/§%&###                                          ###&%§/~-.
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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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