¨~-*%£@@##                                          ##@@£%*-~¨
,:-~:†$$@@                                          @@$$†:~-:,
.^«*=£####                                          ####£=*«^.
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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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