,,..~-*#&§                                          §&#*-~..,,
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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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