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¨-=^^@####                                          ####@^^=-¨
,,«=*%#@##                                          ##@#%*=«,,
¨.,.«^§£#&                                          &#£§^«.,.¨
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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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