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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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