,¨,=;=$&¶#                                          #¶&$=;=,¨,
¨.«†§%£¶##                                          ##¶£%§†«.¨
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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.              #@#&%==:,¨
.,»*%$####                                          ####$%*»,.
,,:«†**§##                                          ##§**†«:,,
¨¨,~«*%$£¶                                          ¶£$%*«~,¨¨
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