¨¨..-«=†@§                                          §@†=«-..¨¨
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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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¨,.~~=*%§@                                          @§%*=~~.,¨
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