,¨,-\$§%§#                                          #§%§$\-,¨,
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,^--*%*%%§                statuette                 §%%*%*--^,
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.,,~-=¤£££ %£$§@£§&£$%%&§£§~~----=~@%%£&*£¤£%@%&*&& £££¤=-~,,.
.,~=$%§@##                 &$@£$%£%*                ##@§%$=~,.
¨^~=^%¤###                                          ###¤%^=~^¨
.~-=$%££## 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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