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,,~*§&&###                statuette                 ###&&§*~,,
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¨^«^%£&£## £$£%&&%%*£&$££*£=~«~~-~»$¤&%%@£@*¤¤&@$&$ ##£&£%^«^¨
,^==*&@@##                 @%¤§@$$$£                ##@@&*==^,
.~«/§£¤£@#                                          #@£¤£§/«~.
¨^»\§¤¤§¤¶ 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. #@@#£*†«:¨
¨:~;%$&¤£@                                          @£¤&$%;~:¨
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,,=/$@¤@@#                                          #@@¤@$/=,,
.,=†$£&##@ i am not followed, and slow down  in the @##&£$†=,.
¨,.,.¨.~*¤ 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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