.¨¨»:*==$@                                          @$==*:»¨¨.
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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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