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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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,..^«**$&£                                          £&$**«^..,