,^-=†%§@##                                          ##@§%†=-^,
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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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