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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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¨-=\*£¤@@#                                          #@@¤£*\=-¨
,,=^§%£@##                                          ##@£%§^=,,