.-=;*%&%£&                                          &£%&%*;=-.
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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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