..«^*§&£##                                          ##£&§*^«..
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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.              £^*~~..¨..
.--=*£@¶##                                          ##¶@£*=--.
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,,,¨:=*&§@                                          @§&*=:¨,,,
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.,.¨.~**§§                                          §§**~.¨.,.