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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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