,¨,~«^*$¤£                                          £¤$*^«~,¨,
,,,-:*£&£@                                          @£&£*:-,,,
¨:=^%¤#£##                                          ##£#¤%^=:¨
¨.,~\*%#£#                                          #£#%*\~,.¨
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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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