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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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