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,¨.,-~~%@@                statuette                 @@%~~-,.¨,
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,~~;%&£@## £@@*@¤£$&&&$*¤@§~»~=~=~»¤&@$§§§&%&$£*¤££ ##@£&%;~~,
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,^::~†:%@@                                          @@%:†~::^,
¨.¨¨~*$§¶# forests around my childhood  home. thick #¶§$*~¨¨.¨
,~=*=§@### 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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