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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 ##@#@$^«..
.-~^^@§£## to   get  up,  still  looking   at   the ##£§@^^~-.
.~«\=%@@## direction  of  sound  rather than at  my ##@@%=\«~.
.¨.:,††§#£ hands, who  are busy  putting  things in £#§††,:.¨.
,~=/*§&#@#               my pockets.                #@#&§*/=~,
.,=\%£@#@#                                          #@#@£%\=,.
¨:«-=†§@§@ then  i  run   east   toward   my  home. @§@§†=-«:¨
.^=/%¤@###                                          ###@¤%/=^.
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.,¨¨~«†§@#                                          #@§†«~¨¨,.
,~»;$£§#@# 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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