..=/=§§@@#                                          #@@§§=/=..
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,¨,,,:==@#                                          #@==:,,,¨,
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..~^*£####                statuette                 ####£*^~..
,^~=*&£¶##                                          ##¶£&*=~^,
.,~^«»~%&@ £¤£%*@$*%*$¤$£¤&~-~-~»~~£*£¤£$*$@££%&*%* @&%~»«^~,.
,...,««$¤£                 $$&$%$£%*                £¤$««,...,
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,,-†§$&@@# 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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.,-*^§§@@#                                          #@@§§^*-,.