.~-†=@####                                          ####@=†-~.
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,~=^*£¶###                                          ###¶£*^=~,
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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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..,.,¨»%$#                                          #$%»¨,.,..