.-~^*£§###                                          ###§£*^~-.
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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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