¨^~/=&@@@#                                          #@@@&=/~^¨
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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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