.-«;*§##@@                                          @@##§*;«-.
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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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