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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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