.^~^*$=%£¤                                          ¤£%=$*^~^.
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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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