¨,-/%%@££#                                          #££@%%/-,¨
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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 ##@¤@%*»:,
..=;*$$#£#               my pockets.                #£#$$*;=..
.¨.^=*§£#£                                          £#£§*=^.¨.
,,,~«~:$&@ then  i   run  east  toward   my   home. @&$:~«~,,,
.:»†§@@###                                          ###@@§†»:.
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.,~**$§££#                                          #££§$**~,.
¨,-=**§*¤@ 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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