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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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¨..~.=\*##                                          ##*\=.~..¨