¨..,..-~*@                                          @*~-..,..¨
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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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