¨:~:=¤§@##                                          ##@§¤=:~:¨
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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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