,,~\^*§£##                                          ##£§*^\~,,
¨,,¨»-~^§£                                          £§^~-»¨,,¨
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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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..:=*;$&@#                                          #@&$;*=:..