,¨,¨,=††£#                                          #£††=,¨,¨,
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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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