,:~/%£§@@#                                          #@@§£%/~:,
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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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