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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.      @@*:.~..¨.
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¨~»\§$&&§#                    *                     #§&&$§\»~¨
,~-~«~:%#¶                                          ¶#%:~«~-~,
..,,,:=%§@ 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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