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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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¨¨.:^*$†§@                                          @§†$*^:.¨¨
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,~-^§§£@##                                          ##@£§§^-~,
,~-;%&¤¶@@                                          @@¶¤&%;-~,