.^«†§$@###                                          ###@$§†«^.
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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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¨,:,/^&£§#                                          #§£&^/,:,¨
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