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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 @¶@#£§=«.,
,.=/%$&@@@ through  light,  horsemint on the  rocky @@@&$%/=.,
¨.¨¨¨,=$*@                river bed.                @*$=,¨¨¨.¨
,.»;**=¤$@                                          @$¤=**;».,
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,...^:*/@@                                          @@/*:^...,
,-»^%¤¤### 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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