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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.      #@#$*~,,¨.
¨,«\$§£@##                                          ##@£§$\«,¨
,~~:%%&§@#                    \                     #@§&%%:~~,
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¨~«/%#¶### 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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