¨..,¨,=;@£                                          £@;=,¨,..¨
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.^=:;/†%£@                 statuette                @£%†/;:=^.
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¨....,«\¤@ &§$£$¤@@$¤$$&@¤¤~-~««~=~@§§£&&*@¤£%*%&%% @¤\«,....¨
¨^~:**££##                &@§%%$@£¤                 ##££**:~^¨
¨,»^*%%££#                                          #££%%*^»,¨
,,¨,,¨~=¤£ 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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