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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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.,~/^@@###                                          ###@@^/~,.