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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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