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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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