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,^=/^$&$§¤                 statuette                ¤§$&$^/=^,
¨.¨.»*%=@@                                          @@=%*».¨.¨
¨,»\**§#@@ $£&$%§**£$%$¤§%§-«=~==«~%@¤££&**£$$**%@$ @@#§**\»,¨
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.,..¨,~††¤                                          ¤††~,¨..,.
.,«^*¤@### forests around  my childhood home. thick ###@¤*^«,.
,-~\*&#@¶# pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and #¶@#&*\~-,
¨¨,,,^/&@#       forgotten. wild boars roaming      #@&/^,,,¨¨
,-»:$%&¶## underneath, sniffing at  the ground.  it ##¶&%$:»-,
,,..¨¨«:$# is  dark and  moist,  the  canopy having #$:«¨¨..,,
,.»:$*#£## already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ##£#*$:».,
¨~»^%$££##                                          ##££$%^»~¨
¨,¨.¨:/\£@ there's a river passing  by,  from  east @£\/:¨.¨,¨
..,^\\$$#@ to west, getting broader and deeper  and @#$$\\^,..
,,,~~«*$£# slower as it  goes.  equisetum grow just #£$*«~~,,,
.,~^^$#@@# where  the  pine   hands  start  to  let #@@#$^^~,.
¨.«*=&#£@# through light,  horsemint  on  the rocky #@£#&=*«.¨
,,.¨~-~*§@                river bed.                @§*~-~¨.,,
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..¨,¨,:^%#                     =                    #%^:,¨,¨..
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¨-~/$*¤¶@# the  riverbanks reek of  magic.  tonight #@¶¤*$/~-¨
¨-»=$$@### 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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