.-»^§&££##                                          ##££&§^»-.
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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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