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