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¨~»;†&£¶@#                                          #@¶£&†;»~¨
,.¨--=$££@                                          @££$=--¨.,
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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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