,^~;*$&£##                                          ##£&$*;~^,
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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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