,.¨,,¨¨:«:                                          :«:¨¨,,¨.,
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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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