.^~††¤¤£##                                          ##£¤¤††~^.
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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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