..,:«=*@@¶                                          ¶@@*=«:,..
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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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