.~~\$§£@##                                          ##@£§$\~~.
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.~«\^£¤¶#@                                          @#¶¤£^\«~.
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,,¨,^~~/=£                statuette                 £=/~~^,¨,,
,~«^%*&@##                                          ##@&*%^«~,
,^-:$&§¶@# %%£%£*%¤*§*¤$**§==~»~~»-£%£¤§$$$@§$**£&% #@¶§&$:-^,
,--=$%@###                §%%@%*£§£                 ###@%$=--,
,..:^,~«§¤                                          ¤§«~,^:..,
.,=»;*§$§# 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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