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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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