.^»;%*£#@#                                          #@#£*%;»^.
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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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