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¨¨«^§%#@##                statuette                 ##@#%§^«¨¨
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..-;%*£¶## ¤£*%&$%&¤@*%%*£§~-»-~=»«£§%¤*$@$@@§@&@&* ##¶£*%;-..
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..,,~=$¤@#                                          #@¤$=~,,..
.¨.¨.«/*%¤ forests around my childhood home.  thick ¤%*/«.¨.¨.
...,«^§£¤@ pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and @¤£§^«,...
,.¨~:$£@#@       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 #@@¤$%:=.,
.»^§%@@@##                river bed.                ##@@@%§^».
,.«==$@£##                                          ##£@$==«.,
,¨,»:^¤§¶@                     ^                    @¶§¤^:»,¨,
..¨¨»;$$¤#                                          #¤$$;»¨¨..
¨,¨.,=*=§@ 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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