.~«;\/;&§£                                          £§&;/\;«~.
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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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