.,¨^»*§$#£                                          £#$§*»^¨,.
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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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.,¨¨.,-;§%                                          %§;-,.¨¨,.