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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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