¨.¨,~\$§¤#                                          #¤§$\~,¨.¨
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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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