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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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,,«^†¤££@#                                          #@££¤†^«,,
,,¨,,«\%@@                                          @@%\«,,¨,,
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