¨.¨~~:†###                                          ###†:~~¨.¨
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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 #@¶@$=~~.¨
.~«:%#@### radio (now  dented)  but  also  a  small ###@#%:«~.
,¨:«*§§@## clay figure i've  never seen before.  it ##@§§*«:¨,
¨.¨~-†*&@# must have been laying in  the  wet dirt, #@&*†-~¨.¨
,,¨.,»*=¤£ and  i  must've  picked it  up  with  my £¤=*»,.¨,,
,¨.,,.~†%£            other belongings.             £%†~.,,.¨,
.,,,:»;=@@                                          @@=;»:,,,.
..¨-~\%¤@# it's a statuette of a girl  laying naked #@¤%\~-¨..
¨¨~»:†§### on  her  stomach,   feet   in  the  air, ###§†:»~¨¨
,,«;§¤####   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ####¤§;«,,
.¨-»:%£### freshly made, not  yet completely dried. ###£%:»-¨.
.¨¨~~:$&¶#                                          #¶&$:~~¨¨.
.¨,,:~†%&@ my mom is here  now. i ask her for  some @&%†~:,,¨.
,,,¨,,=†§¤ particle board  for  it to  dry  on, but ¤§†=,,¨,,,
,.¨.:~==## she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to ##==~:.¨.,
...:~†^@##              throw it away.              ##@^†~:...
.¨.-:^¤#@#                                          #@#¤^:-.¨.
¨,=*$#¶###                                          ###¶#$*=,¨
,.~-^^§¶##                                          ##¶§^^-~.,
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....-»=$££                                          ££$=»-....
¨,...~=\*£                                          £*\=~...,¨