,,..~/;££#                                          #££;/~..,,
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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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