,~~:*&£###                                          ###£&*:~~,
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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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