,.,*†§¤#@#                                          #@#¤§†*,.,
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.¨,¨,†*%£@                                          @£%*†,¨,¨.
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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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..,,.¨..\%                                          %\..¨.,,..
¨.¨.¨,:/*%                                          %*/:,¨.¨.¨