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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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