¨:~;†$¤#¶@                                          @¶#¤$†;~:¨
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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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