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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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¨~««†%§@£&                                          &£@§%†««~¨