,¨¨~~;%&£¶                                          ¶£&%;~~¨¨,
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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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..=/$$@@##                                          ##@@$$/=..
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