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,,¨.«†$£#@                                          @#£$†«.¨,,
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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. #¶£$$*«,.,
,¨,^~:%*#@                                          @#*%:~^,¨,
,¨¨¨~~;**£ my mom is here now. i ask  her for  some £**;~~¨¨¨,
¨¨.,-*$%@£ particle board  for  it  to dry on,  but £@%$*-,.¨¨
,..«/^%£¶# she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to #¶£%^/«..,
¨~«††%¤###              throw it away.              ###¤%††«~¨
,..»*=$§£#                                          #£§$=*»..,
¨..-»\^@¤@                                          @¤@^\»-..¨
,,¨,:=:=££                                          ££=:=:,¨,,
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,,.~*$$#@#                                          #@#$$*~.,,
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