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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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