.:=:**£#@#                                          #@#£**:=:.
¨,¨~-;$*¤#                                          #¤*$;-~¨,¨
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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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