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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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