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.:»†*$£#@#                                          #@#£$*†»:.
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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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