.¨,¨.«^^£#                                          #£^^«.¨,¨.
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¨¨¨,-†%§@@                statuette                 @@§%†-,¨¨¨
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,.,,,:~=%* $&¤$%£$¤$@&*£&@§~~~=»»«-¤£@&%@%$£&£¤$*£% *%=~:,,,.,
¨,,¨,-/†§#                $¤£%¤£*&¤                 #§†/-,¨,,¨
,.¨.-:§¤&¶                                          ¶&¤§:-.¨.,
¨¨~~†§¤&## forests around my childhood home.  thick ##&¤§†~~¨¨
,^=*§££@## pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and ##@££§*=^,
¨.^=;$£¤##      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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