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