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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 @$@:«^.¨,¨
¨.~†§£@@## direction of  sound rather  than  at  my ##@@£§†~.¨
¨.¨,,,~**£ hands, who  are busy  putting things  in £**~,,,¨.¨
¨,.¨,^^£@#                my pockets.               #@£^^,¨.,¨
.~-**£§#@#                                          #@#§£**-~.
,:«†§@#### then   i   run  east  toward   my  home. ####@§†«:,
.,»†*£££##                                          ##£££*†»,.
¨~~^*££###                     /                    ###££*^~~¨
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,¨¨,.^=*$§ 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 #@¶§@$*«^,
,.¨--^/\%£            other belongings.             £%\/^--¨.,
.,~*^§¤£¤#                                          #¤£¤§^*~,.
¨:~/=@#@## it's a  statuette of a girl laying naked ##@#@=/~:¨
¨,«*%&&#@# on   her  stomach,   feet  in  the  air, #@#&&%*«,¨
,:~*§*¤¶##   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ##¶¤*§*~:,
,^-*%%£@## freshly made,  not yet completely dried. ##@£%%*-^,
¨,,¨,,*/^&                                          &^/*,,¨,,¨
,¨..,;*¤## my mom is here now.  i ask  her for some ##¤*;,..¨,
.¨¨,.^=¤§@ particle  board  for  it to dry on,  but @§¤=^.,¨¨.
¨-~:†%=#@# she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to #@#=%†:~-¨
¨:=\%%@@##              throw it away.              ##@@%%\=:¨
.-«^^%¤@##                                          ##@¤%^^«-.
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¨:»†§@§@@@                                          @@@§@§†»:¨
¨:«:$%§@#@                                          @#@§%$:«:¨