¨.~;%&@@##                                          ##@@&%;~.¨
¨¨.=:=£¤##                                          ##¤£=:=.¨¨
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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 ##@&=†«~.,
,,=;$%§¶##              throw it away.              ##¶§%$;=,,
.,.«;*$#@#                                          #@#$*;«.,.
.~-:^*#@##                                          ##@#*^:-~.
,¨,~:%&#¶#                                          #¶#&%:~,¨,
.:~;†&@@##                                          ##@@&†;~:.
,.~~:$$§¶#                                          #¶§$$:~~.,
¨-~^%$&£##                                          ##£&$%^~-¨