¨^«/^\^$@@                                          @@$^\^/«^¨
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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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