.^~*^£@£##                                          ##£@£^*~^.
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,~»;:†*$§@                                          @§$*†:;»~,
.,=\^=$§@@                statuette                 @@§$=^\=,.
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,¨,,.«\*£¶ *@£@*£$$$§&$£$$%~~=~»=~~£$£%£@£&&&%££§¤$ ¶£*\«.,,¨,
¨.~=%%&@@#                **&%¤@@*£                 #@@&%%=~.¨
¨,^.,*^=@¤                                          ¤@=^*,.^,¨
¨,«:**§@@# 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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