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,,.~-=*£##                                          ##£*=-~.,,
,.¨.^«:§£§                                          §£§:«^.¨.,
.,¨¨,^=\*¤                                          ¤*\=^,¨¨,.
.¨.,,.,«†^                statuette                 ^†«,.,,.¨.
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,¨.¨:«††%@ %$&*%$&£$$$*&£&$-~«~««~=%*££@£¤%%¤$£$£%$ @%††«:¨.¨,
¨.¨-~:*§£#                 $$@@$££%%                #£§*:~-¨.¨
¨,:~^%%#¶#                                          #¶#%%^~:,¨
¨.»*$&£### 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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