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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.              ##£&&*:»^¨
,,=†*@¤@@#                                          #@@¤@*†=,,
.:-/†&§@#@                                          @#@§&†/-:.
¨~~:*†%§@#                                          #@§%†*:~~¨
¨:-^*%#@##                                          ##@#%*^-:¨
,-»:†%¤@##                                          ##@¤%†:»-,
¨,-*%@£###                                          ###£@%*-,¨