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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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.-«***£@##                                          ##@£***«-.