,,~»=~^¤£#                                          #£¤^~=»~,,
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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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