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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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¨.=†$†£%£#                                          #£%£†$†=.¨
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