.,-*%*####                                          ####*%*-,.
¨,¨,~;%¤#@                                          @#¤%;~,¨,¨
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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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