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