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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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