.,~:*£§£##                                          ##£§£*:~,.
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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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