.:«^%&@###                                          ###@&%^«:.
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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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