.-~=^@#£#@                                          @#£#@^=~-.
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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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