..--/=§*£#                                          #£*§=/--..
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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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,-~^$¤£¶@#                                          #@¶£¤$^~-,
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