,¨,=~*$$&@                                          @&$$*~=,¨,
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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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