&¨¤@@¨£.,¨                                          ¤.#,#.&,&¨
@,.&¤¨&.,.                                          £¨£.&.£¨#,
§.&¨§,§¨,.                                          &,#¨#¨¤.&¨
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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.              &,§¨¤.@.@.
£¨@.£,£.¤¤                                          &.#¨#,£¨¤¨
@.¤.@¨§¨¨@                                          @.£¨@.#.£.
§¨@¨@,¤.#&                                          §¨£,@¨£.&,
@,#.@¨#.¨§                                          &.@.§¨§¨&,
£,&,¤.&¨£#                                          £,¤,&.@.@,
@,&¨£,§,¨¤                                          &,&.£¨§.¤,