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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. ##¶@£^/=,¨
.¨,,-»*£¤@                                          @¤£*»-,,¨.
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,,¨,*/§&#£                                          £#&§/*,¨,,
,~»*†£§##@ 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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