,,--†*££@#                                          #@££*†--,,
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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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