¨:=;%§#&#§                                          §#&#§%;=:¨
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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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