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