,,-††§&###                                          ###&§††-,,
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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 #@@@$†^=:.
,.»**¤§### on   her  stomach,  feet   in  the  air, ###§¤**».,
.,^,,-\¤£§   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   §£¤\-,,^,.
¨¨..,\§&%£ freshly  made, not yet completely dried. £%&§\,..¨¨
¨^~=†*§##@                                          @##§*†=~^¨
..,¨.«-†^¤ my  mom is  here now. i ask her for some ¤^†-«.¨,..
.^~\*&¶### particle board  for  it  to dry  on, but ###¶&*\~^.
,.~\*&§@## she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to ##@§&*\~.,
,-=^%§#@##              throw it away.              ##@#§%^=-,
,:~=$@##@#                                          #@##@$=~:,
.-~†*§%%££                                          ££%%§*†~-.
¨,:»--:$£#                                          #£$:--»:,¨
¨,~\=%@@##                                          ##@@%=\~,¨
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¨,.¨=*$£¤#                                          #¤£$*=¨.,¨