.¨,-~--*$¤                                          ¤$*--~-,¨.
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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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,,«†%*%£@#                                          #@£%*%†«,,