¨,~;§%£@@#                                          #@@£%§;~,¨
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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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