¨..~;=^/†&                                          &†/^=;~..¨
,~-:^*&#@#                                          #@#&*^:-~,
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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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