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,¨,¨^~/$$&                 statuette                &$$/~^¨,¨,
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¨.,~/$£§£# $%£$$£&%@@£%%**&-==~»--~*%&£%££££%%&%$&$ #£§£$/~,.¨
¨^«/§*&@@#                 **§*%£@*$                #@@&*§/«^¨
¨,^~\=$#@#                                          #@#$=\~^,¨
¨¨.,~:^¤§# forests  around my childhood home. thick #§¤^:~,.¨¨
.¨..^»=%¤£ pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and £¤%=»^..¨.
.,.,..»†%£       forgotten. wild boars roaming      £%†»..,.,.
.,..:-=†$@ underneath,  sniffing at the ground.  it @$†=-:..,.
,,,^«=%£&# is dark  and moist,  the  canopy  having #&£%=«^,,,
¨¨^~:%%§## already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ##§%%:~^¨¨
¨,~=§$£###                                          ###£$§=~,¨
,.,«^†@§£@ there's  a river  passing by, from  east @£§@†^«,.,
,,.-«\^%£@ to west, getting  broader and deeper and @£%^\«-.,,
¨¨,¨--\$££ slower as it goes. equisetum  grow  just ££$\--¨,¨¨
..¨,.,-^*£ where  the  pine   hands  start  to  let £*^-,.,¨..
¨.¨¨,~;%$# through  light,  horsemint on the  rocky #$%;~,¨¨.¨
¨¨.^«/^£¤#                river bed.                #¤£^/«^.¨¨
¨¨,=/^§££#                                          #££§^/=,¨¨
¨,»;=*@###                    :                     ###@*=;»,¨
,¨~-:$£§@#                                          #@§£$:-~¨,
¨¨.,~**¤&£ the  riverbanks reek of  magic.  tonight £&¤**~,.¨¨
¨.,.^«†=§# they  had been a  swampworld with sylvan #§=†«^.,.¨
,,¨¨.,»=^% water,  stone rings and  floating  moss. %^=»,.¨¨,,
.¨.¨:~:§%§ you could've  found  me wallowing around §%§:~:¨.¨.
,,.,«^§%£¶ on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got ¶£%§^«,.,,
.¨:=;$$§#@                 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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