.,..,**¤%£                                          £%¤**,..,.
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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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¨-«:$£@###                                          ###@£$:«-¨
.:»†%§§@@@                                          @@@§§%†»:.