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,~~/†&#£##                                          ##£#&†/~~,
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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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.:=^*%*$%&                                          &%$*%*^=:.