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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 ##£@*$\»,¨
,,~=*¤@#@@ she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to @@#@¤*=~,,
,,¨¨^:=^&¤              throw it away.              ¤&^=:^¨¨,,
¨-«/^$#@##                                          ##@#$^/«-¨
,^~;%&¤¤##                                          ##¤¤&%;~^,
¨--\$£@¶##                                          ##¶@£$\--¨
,,~^=¤¶###                                          ###¶¤=^~,,
,¨¨¨:†=£&#                                          #&£=†:¨¨¨,
¨-»^%%#£@@                                          @@£#%%^»-¨