,¨.=*§$*¤@                                          @¤*$§*=.¨,
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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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