..~^:/\$§¶                                          ¶§$\/:^~..
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,:~^%£@###                                          ###@£%^~:,
,,,.^««;&#                                          #&;««^.,,,
.,=;$&§###                                          ###§&$;=,.
,:~\%§####                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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