¨^-†*$££##                                          ##££$*†-^¨
¨.~:*££¶##                                          ##¶££*:~.¨
,,==†$££@#                                          #@££$†==,,
,,-:*@¶@##                                          ##@¶@*:-,,
,,«†^%@#@#                                          #@#@%^†«,,
¨..,~~^&##                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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