.¨¨¨¨.~*¤¤                                          ¤¤*~.¨¨¨¨.
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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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