.-=^†*&#@#                                          #@#&*†^=-.
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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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