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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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