,.=\*£¶@##                                          ##@¶£*\=.,
.~»\$%£@##                                          ##@£%$\»~.
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,-»/^$@@##                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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