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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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