.¨.«†%%&££                                          ££&%%†«.¨.
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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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¨,~/*%§£#@                                          @#£§%*/~,¨