,..,»**@@£                                          £@@**»,..,
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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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