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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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