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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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