¨¨,.:^/%#£                                          £#%/^:.,¨¨
,~-\=$£@##                                          ##@£$=\-~,
,~~«~~**§@                                          @§**~~«~~,
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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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