,~~/$£#¶@#                                          #@¶#£$/~~,
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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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