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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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