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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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