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