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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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