,^»\§£&@@@                                          @@@&£§\»^,
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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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