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¨,..,,~;£¶                statuette                 ¶£;~,,..,¨
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¨^-;†$#### &£&%¤£§$%$%$§¤$@-~~-«=«-¤§*%&%@*%¤§%§£¤$ ####$†;-^¨
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.^-^†%@@@# forests around my  childhood home. thick #@@@%†^-^.
.,¨¨,=§@#@ pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and @#@§=,¨¨,.
¨¨,«-~$*†£       forgotten. wild boars roaming      £†*$~-«,¨¨
¨.:,~,/*¤£ underneath,  sniffing at the ground.  it £¤*/,~,:.¨
.-~;^%§¶## is dark  and moist,  the  canopy  having ##¶§%^;~-.
¨~»/^£¤£¤¤ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¤¤£¤£^/»~¨
,,=:^¤¤@##                                          ##@¤¤^:=,,
,¨.~~*%&&# there's a river  passing by,  from  east #&&%*~~.¨,
¨,~==&¤¶@# to west, getting broader and  deeper and #@¶¤&==~,¨
¨~«†*£@### slower  as it  goes. equisetum grow just ###@£*†«~¨
.:«;*@@@## where  the   pine  hands  start  to  let ##@@@*;«:.
¨^-†§%#### through  light,  horsemint on  the rocky ####%§†-^¨
,,~†%£¤¶##                river bed.                ##¶¤£%†~,,
,,==$§&#@@                                          @@#&§$==,,
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.,¨,¨:-~*& the  riverbanks reek  of magic.  tonight &*~-:¨,¨,.
.¨¨,,~=£#@ they  had been  a swampworld with sylvan @#£=~,,¨¨.
¨:»†*$&#@# water,  stone rings and  floating  moss. #@#&$*†»:¨
¨¨,,.,=/%@ you could've found me  wallowing  around @%/=,.,,¨¨
,:-†%$£@## on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got ##@£$%†-:,
.-~^=¤&###                 bitten.                  ###&¤=^~-.
.,»*†%£#¶#                                          #¶#£%†*»,.
.,»†^%@¶@# but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid #@¶@%^†»,.
¨,=†=*@### ground, in shoulder-high grass, with  an ###@*=†=,¨
.¨,^-*\&¤£ orange  tin  radio  and  a   translucent £¤&\*-^,¨.
¨~~==£####      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      ####£==~~¨
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.¨¨¨-~$*@#                     =                    #@*$~-¨¨¨.
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..,¨.=§$%¤ 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 ¤$^»,,¨¨.,
¨,=:%%¤### hands, who  are busy  putting things  in ###¤%%:=,¨
,:~:=%£££¤                my pockets.               ¤£££%=:~:,
,~~^$£¤£#@                                          @#£¤£$^~~,
,~»\^¤#### then  i   run   east   toward  my  home. ####¤^\»~,
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.^-;$£¤£##                    /                     ##£¤£$;-^.
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.,«:=£§££# i am not followed, and slow  down in the #££§£=:«,.
¨,=**%¤@£# clearing  where  you  at first can  spot #£@¤%**=,¨
¨...,**@#@ the  house,  not  yet  really   in   the @#@**,...¨
.^=/%£@£## backyard. from my pockets i  retrieve my ##£@£%/=^.
¨-~;^$&### 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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