.,~=§§£###                                          ###£§§=~,.
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,..,..=*&@                                          @&*=..,..,
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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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