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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 ##£@*$;»^,
.,¨,^«~†¤# where   the  pine  hands  start  to  let #¤†~«^,¨,.
.-~:%@§@#@ through light,  horsemint  on  the rocky @#@§@%:~-.
¨,~\%*£@##                river bed.                ##@£*%\~,¨
,,==§£@@##                                          ##@@£§==,,
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¨,.¨:,:;§¶                                          ¶§;:,:¨.,¨
¨^«/†§&@@# the  riverbanks reek of  magic.  tonight #@@&§†/«^¨
.^~†*§@#@# they had  been a  swampworld with sylvan #@#@§*†~^.
.:=\=@¤@@# water,  stone  rings and floating  moss. #@@¤@=\=:.
.:~:=%#£@@ you could've found  me wallowing  around @@£#%=:~:.
,~»††%¤£## on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got ##£¤%††»~,
,:~;†£####                  bitten.                 ####£†;~:,
.~~^$*@@##                                          ##@@*$^~~.
.~=;$§§##£ 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.      ##£¤£%/~-.
¨,.:~«:&¶#                                          #¶&:«~:.,¨
,^~\^§@@##                    ;                     ##@@§^\~^,
,¨,.^=$$@@                                          @@$$=^.,¨,
,.~;;\§&¤@ 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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