.:«*%%¤£##                                          ##£¤%%*«:.
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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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