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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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