¨,.¨.^\^£#                                          #£^\^.¨.,¨
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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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