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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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