,-~;%£@##@                                          @##@£%;~-,
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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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