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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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