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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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.,-/†%@###                                          ###@%†/-,.