¨¨,¨,=$£&#                                          #&£$=,¨,¨¨
¨-=/^£§#@@                                          @@#§£^/=-¨
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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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