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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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