.~~†%%&¶£#                                          #£¶&%%†~~.
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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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¨:«*\§^@@¤                                          ¤@@^§\*«:¨