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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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