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¨¨¨,,~%£@@                                          @@£%~,,¨¨¨
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¨.,.¨-^£#¶                 statuette                ¶#£^-¨.,.¨
....==§££@                                          @££§==....
,~«~«~=^§@ &%$%*%§*%$£$%&$*-~~----»&£$$&@&§¤$¤$@§%£ @§^=~«~«~,
.:»/†*##@#                 ¤$£%@¤*¤$                #@##*†/»:.
¨^-:%¤&£##                                          ##£&¤%:-^¨
.:=\§£¤@@# 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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,:»††@#@@#                                          #@@#@††»:,