.-«^%£&@@@                                          @@@&£%^«-.
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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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