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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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