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