.,~**$&§@@                                          @@§&$**~,.
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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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