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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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.,-/%§@££#                                          #££@§%/-,.