,:«=$£#@@#                                          #@@#£$=«:,
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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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