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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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