¨,»-=††§&@                                          @&§††=-»,¨
¨,,¨¨.~;$£                                          £$;~.¨¨,,¨
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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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