,:-†==/=¤#                                          #¤=/==†-:,
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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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