.,.¨:-*\£#                                          #£\*-:¨.,.
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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 @$†=,¨,..¨
¨^~^=§¤£##              throw it away.              ##£¤§=^~^¨
.,«^*¤¤#@#                                          #@#¤¤*^«,.
.,,.-%¤§§#                                          #§§¤%-.,,.
,,¨.-^††$§                                          §$††^-.¨,,
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.,,.¨«-$§@                                          @§$-«¨.,,.
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