.,=:=*&$$£                                          £$$&*=:=,.
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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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