.¨:=^*£¤£#                                          #£¤£*^=:¨.
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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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