¨¨,.«:%@@#                                          #@@%:«.,¨¨
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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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