.^~=%§&#@#                                          #@#&§%=~^.
,:~;=¤££@#                                          #@££¤=;~:,
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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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