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,:=**£@###                 statuette                ###@£**=:,
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¨-»\^$£### $@&§§$$%$@@%£$%*~~-~~~»-&@&£$¤$§$§£§¤*££ ###£$^\»-¨
.¨.«~~$#@@                 $*$*%&$*%                @@#$~~«.¨.
¨~-/*&##¶£                                          £¶##&*/-~¨
¨..,..,~*£ forests around  my childhood home. thick £*~,..,..¨
¨.-†=$§### pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and ###§$=†-.¨
,,=\=$¤¤£§      forgotten. wild boars roaming       §£¤¤$=\=,,
,,«††@¤£¶@ underneath, sniffing at  the  ground. it @¶£¤@††«,,
...,-^»%@@ is dark  and moist,  the  canopy  having @@%»^-,...
¨,,..-^†&¤ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¤&†^-..,,¨
¨,^.-,\/£#                                          #£/\,-.^,¨
.,,.:*=£@£ there's  a  river passing by, from  east £@£=*:.,,.
,-~^†$£¶## to west,  getting broader and deeper and ##¶£$†^~-,
.,=:%%^£¤£ slower as it  goes.  equisetum grow just £¤£^%%:=,.
,,,¨:~~%## where  the  pine  hands  start   to  let ##%~~:¨,,,
.,¨,.~~%&# through  light,  horsemint on  the rocky #&%~~.,¨,.
¨.¨,-=«;*#                river bed.                #*;«=-,¨.¨
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,~-^*%§#@#                     ^                    #@#§%*^-~,
,:=/^%#¶@#                                          #@¶#%^/=:,
¨^~†%£§### the  riverbanks reek  of magic.  tonight ###§£%†~^¨
,,»*=@&@## they had  been a swampworld with  sylvan ##@&@=*»,,
.,«=*%£### water, stone  rings and  floating  moss. ###£%*=«,.
,:-=^*$$$& 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. @#¶£%†:»^,
¨.»*^&££##                                          ##££&^*».¨
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¨¨¨¨.¨~**@                                          @**~¨.¨¨¨¨
..~:§$@&&# i am not followed, and slow down in  the #&&@$§:~..
,,-:*$§@## clearing  where  you  at first can  spot ##@§$*:-,,
¨.~^*§@#@# 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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