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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.                 ###£$$/-..
,.=^=££###                                          ###££=^=.,
,.-\†&&@## but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid ##@&&†\-.,
.,=/§@¤@## ground, in shoulder-high grass, with  an ##@¤@§/=,.
..:~^~~%££ orange   tin  radio  and  a  translucent ££%~~^~:..
,^~;%%####      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      ####%%;~^,
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.-~†††*£#@                    ;                     @#£*†††~-.
,,¨,.~*#@@                                          @@#*~.,¨,,
,.»\%££### somethings  moving  in  the grass.  it's ###££%\».,
,¨.¨¨.,~*& invisible  to  my  eyes  but i can  feel &*~,.¨¨.¨,
,,.¨:,^«$& through the ground just how large it is. &$«^,:¨.,,
,~»*§%@@@#                                          #@@@%§*»~,
¨:=†*§§### the soil  is muddy. i slip  when  trying ###§§*†=:¨
,,....:\*@ to  get   up,   still  looking   at  the @*\:....,,
¨^~=*££### direction of  sound  rather  than  at my ###££*=~^¨
,.~\§%§¶@# hands,  who  are  busy putting things in #@¶§%§\~.,
,-~/$$¤#@#               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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