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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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¨~~^†££&¶#                                          #¶&££†^~~¨
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