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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. ###@£§*~~¨
.,=;**¤###                                          ###¤**;=,.
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,¨,=*%%^££                                          ££^%%*=,¨,
.¨,.~»*%£# 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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