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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. ##%~,.¨¨¨,
,¨¨,¨¨.=^&                                          &^=.¨¨,¨¨,
.^«=*¤&£@#                     †                    #@£&¤*=«^.
,--;†¤£¤@#                                          #@¤£¤†;--,
,,~^*&¤¶## 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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