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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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