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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.              §$†~,,..,.
.,.¨,~**&£                                          £&**~,¨.,.
¨,¨^~;*£§£                                          £§£*;~^¨,¨
,,-~;*%&@#                                          #@&%*;~-,,
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.,,«^$%¤#@                                          @#¤%$^«,,.
¨¨,:~;=%§@                                          @§%=;~:,¨¨