¨-=\%£§@##                                          ##@§£%\=-¨
.:-:§§¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤§§:-:.
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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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