,^«*%%####                                          ####%%*«^,
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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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