¨,«\%%@###                                          ###@%%\«,¨
.,¨.:-^:£§                                          §£:^-:.¨,.
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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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,,«/^£#@@#                                          #@@#£^/«,,
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