.^»^†%£¶##                                          ##¶£%†^»^.
,,.~†*§@¶#                                          #¶@§*†~.,,
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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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¨.,.,«†$£#                                          #£$†«,.,.¨
.,,~=:%£@£                                          £@£%:=~,,.