,.-†*¤£¶##                                          ##¶£¤*†-.,
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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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