¨,.--=$*¤#                                          #¤*$=--.,¨
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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.      ££§%†-,...
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¨,¨,.:-\§*                     :                    *§\-:.,¨,¨
,¨.¨.-†§%#                                          #%§†-.¨.¨,
¨,,,~\^$§@ 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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