.:=*%%¶###                                          ###¶%%*=:.
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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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