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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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