,¨.¨,»~§£#                                          #£§~»,¨.¨,
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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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