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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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