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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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¨-=**%¤#@#                                          #@#¤%**=-¨
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