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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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