.:~;=§%£@@                                          @@£%§=;~:.
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,^«††@§¶@#                 statuette                #@¶§@††«^,
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.^=*\=*&£@ $£@¤&&$$*@%%%£%$»=-«~««~$¤£¤§%£¤¤£$£%$%£ @£&*=\*=^.
,:»\$@&###                 £$@%*$*§£                ###&@$\»:,
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¨,~\%£@### forests  around my childhood home. thick ###@£%\~,¨
¨.»;*%@¶## pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and ##¶@%*;».¨
.^~†$$#@@#       forgotten. wild boars roaming      #@@#$$†~^.
.-»**%§@#@ underneath,  sniffing  at the ground. it @#@§%**»-.
.^=†*&&¤£# is  dark  and  moist, the canopy  having #£¤&&*†=^.
...~^=$¤#¤ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¤#¤$=^~...
¨-»*†@@###                                          ###@@†*»-¨
.-=\%%¤§¤# there's a  river passing  by,  from east #¤§¤%%\=-.
.,:-†=†$££ to west, getting  broader and deeper and ££$†=†-:,.
,^«^^%&##@ slower as it  goes. equisetum  grow just @##&%^^«^,
¨¨,.,=*/$£ where  the  pine  hands   start  to  let £$/*=,.,¨¨
,:~*§§¤§££ through  light, horsemint  on the  rocky ££§¤§§*~:,
,^»:$&§###                river bed.                ###§&$:»^,
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.,~^†§£#@#                     \                    #@#£§†^~,.
,.~:%£@¶##                                          ##¶@£%:~.,
,¨¨^«~†$¤# the  riverbanks reek  of  magic. tonight #¤$†~«^¨¨,
,^~\*@£¶#@ they had been  a swampworld with  sylvan @#¶£@*\~^,
.,.¨¨..^%# water, stone  rings  and floating  moss. #%^..¨¨.,.
..,~~»†§£@ you could've found  me wallowing  around @£§†»~~,..
.¨.,..,*^@ on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got @^*,..,.¨.
.~«\%%@#@#                 bitten.                  #@#@%%\«~.
.,~^%*@¶@@                                          @@¶@*%^~,.
¨,¨,.,**@# but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid #@**,.,¨,¨
,,«~»»$§*£ ground, in shoulder-high  grass, with an £*§$»»~«,,
,~«/%@£### orange  tin  radio  and  a   translucent ###£@%/«~,
.~=\**§@¶@      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      @¶@§**\=~.
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.¨..,^=%$£                     :                    £$%=^,..¨.
.,.-~~=££@                                          @££=~~-.,.
..»†§§#¶## somethings moving  in  the  grass.  it's ##¶#§§†»..
.,,~;^*$$¶ 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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