.~~^†%£###                                          ###£%†^~~.
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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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