,¨..¨~^£##                                          ##£^~¨..¨,
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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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,-=^%@¶@##                                          ##@¶@%^=-,