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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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