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....~^%%@¶                                          ¶@%%^~....
...~^%%@¶#                                          #¶@%%^~...
..~^%%@¶##                                          ##¶@%%^~..
...~^%%@¶# ........##~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~##........ #¶@%%^~...
....~^%%@¶                                          ¶@%%^~....
.....~^%%@ when i was  in eight  grade i decided  i @%%^~.....
......~^%% was dead. my  spirit  had left  my body, %%^~......
.......~^%             never to return.             %^~.......
......~^%%                                          %%^~......
.....~^%%@ i remember  sitting in my parents car on @%%^~.....
....~^%%@¶ a cloudy,  watery  day,  getting a  ride ¶@%%^~....
...~^%%@¶# somewhere.  it felt  like  i  had solved #¶@%%^~...
..~^%%@¶## some  great  puzzle.   i've   solved  no ##¶@%%^~..
...~^%%@¶#            puzzles since then.           #¶@%%^~...
....~^%%@¶                                          ¶@%%^~....
.....~^%%@  instead, i've been mindlessly piloting  @%%^~.....
......~^%% this body around. i  still give it life, %%^~......
.......~^% somehow. like a golem,  and i try not to %^~.......
......~^%% care  too  much,   but   i  do.  it's  a %%^~......
.....~^%%@   contaminated golem, this one. purity   @%%^~.....
....~^%%@¶ clouded by  my  echo.  afterglow  of  my ¶@%%^~....
...~^%%@¶#                 spirit.                  #¶@%%^~...
..~^%%@¶##                                          ##¶@%%^~..
...~^%%@¶# ........##~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~##........ #¶@%%^~...
....~^%%@¶                                          ¶@%%^~....
.....~^%%@                                          @%%^~.....
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