¨:»/^%*%§£                                          £§%*%^/»:¨
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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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