,....==^&#                                          #&^==....,
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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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