,.,.,,=†§£                                          £§†=,,.,.,
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.,-*=@#@@#                                          #@@#@=*-,.
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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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