.-.=\%$@@#                                          #@@$%\=.-.
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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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