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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.              &,#,@.§¨#¨
,£,§.,#,@&                                          #,@¨@.¤¨&.
#@.§,£&¨,§                                          £¨£,¤¨¤¨@¨
¨£,£.,&.@£                                          £.§.£.¤,¤,
#§.&,¤§,¨&                                          £,¤.&.¤,¤,
,§¨&..§.##                                          §,£.¤¨#.§.
&@¨£,§&.,¤                                          #¨@.¤,§¨£,