,--;%&@£##                                          ##£@&%;--,
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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.              #£#¤=%*-,¨
¨:=^%$&###                                          ###&$%^=:¨
,¨¨..»«=*£                                          £*=«»..¨¨,
.^»†%*£¶##                                          ##¶£*%†»^.
..¨:,*£@¶¶                                          ¶¶@£*,:¨..
,^«*^&#@@#                                          #@@#&^*«^,
.:~\=¤####                                          ####¤=\~:.