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