¨,==*&¤#@#                                          #@#¤&*==,¨
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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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