,,,,,-/†§§                                          §§†/-,,,,,
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¨¨,:»/†*§@                                          @§*†/»:,¨¨
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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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