..=†*$¤@##                                          ##@¤$*†=..
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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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