,^=**¤####                                          ####¤**=^,
.,,-\^$£@#                                          #@£$^\-,,.
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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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