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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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