..~\$*%££¤                                          ¤££%*$\~..
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¨:~=*¤¤£##                statuette                 ##£¤¤*=~:¨
,.,,^-:¤&£                                          £&¤:-^,,.,
,,¨¨.,^*@# *@¤$&¤%%@£¤¤&$§%«~»«»»»»$%§**%£§¤§*£¤§&¤ #@*^,.¨¨,,
,,=*†%£#@#                %%%$¤£%*¤                 #@#£%†*=,,
¨.~,.††£##                                          ##£††.,~.¨
¨~-*^§#@## forests  around my childhood home. thick ##@#§^*-~¨
,^~=%*@£££ pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and £££@*%=~^,
¨,~=^%§###       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ###§%^=~,¨
.~«/@§@### underneath, sniffing  at  the ground. it ###@§@/«~.
¨,=:^¤#£@# is  dark  and  moist, the  canopy having #@£#¤^:=,¨
¨..,.^~§*£ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. £*§~^.,..¨
¨:=:§$£¶@#                                          #@¶£$§:=:¨
.^«^%*£*@# there's a river passing  by,  from  east #@*£*%^«^.
¨~~*;\:\*¤ to west, getting broader and deeper  and ¤*\:\;*~~¨
,-~=\%†*## slower as  it goes. equisetum grow  just ##*†%\=~-,
¨~-;*%£### where  the  pine  hands   start  to  let ###£%*;-~¨
¨¨.,¨¨~$§@ 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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