.~»^%@@###                                          ###@@%^»~.
,~~*$%#@##                                          ##@#%$*~~,
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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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