.¨,,¨./%$£                                          £$%/.¨,,¨.
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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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