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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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