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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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.^~=^$&¶##                                          ##¶&$^=~^.