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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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