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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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