.,~*†*¤@##                                          ##@¤*†*~,.
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..~/*£%%@#                                          #@%%£*/~..
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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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