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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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