¨~=†$£¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤£$†=~¨
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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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