,¨,,-»/§$§                                          §$§/»-,,¨,
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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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