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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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