.~«^^*#£##                                          ##£#*^^«~.
,,.,«†@§#£                                          £#§@†«,.,,
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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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..,¨.=†¤@#                                          #@¤†=.¨,..
¨..,«-^§§@                                          @§§^-«,..¨
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