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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. #@¶£&$\=,¨
,.=/†%@%@£                                          £@%@%†/=.,
.,=;*¤£@## my  mom is  here now. i ask her for some ##@£¤*;=,.
.,.¨¨~=§@@ particle  board for  it to  dry on,  but @@§=~¨¨.,.
.,..¨:†^@¤ she   is   worried   and  wants  me   to ¤@^†:¨..,.
,.,.«»~†#§              throw it away.              §#†~»«.,.,
.¨¨,.~*@§&                                          &§@*~.,¨¨.
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¨¨.¨¨.=**£                                          £**=.¨¨.¨¨
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,,,¨~\=*$#                                          #$*=\~¨,,,
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