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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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