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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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