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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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,^==$§@¶#@                                          @#¶@§$==^,