¨^»;†*£###                                          ###£*†;»^¨
¨,^-†*£&@#                                          #@&£*†-^,¨
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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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