¨:-\%%#¶@#                                          #@¶#%%\-:¨
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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 ####&$/~-¨
¨.-†*%§£## she   is  worried   and  wants   me   to ##£§%*†-.¨
,^~^†%§#@#              throw it away.              #@#§%†^~^,
,,«;%§#£@#                                          #@£#§%;«,,
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.^«*$*$§£@                                          @£§$*$*«^.
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.,,.,,,*%£                                          £%*,,,.,,.
,,~^§*@£@#                                          #@£@*§^~,,