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,--***§#@@                                          @@#§***--,
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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.                ##@@¤$\~-.
¨.~-^-§¤##                                          ##¤§-^-~.¨
,,«*$%@¶##                    *                     ##¶@%$*«,,
,,=^%%§¶##                                          ##¶§%%^=,,
,¨.,¨,,\§& the riverbanks  reek  of  magic. tonight &§\,,¨,.¨,
..~:^¤¤### they  had been a swampworld with  sylvan ###¤¤^:~..
,.¨~-»;£@@ water,  stone rings  and floating  moss. @@£;»-~¨.,
,~«^†§§¶¶@ you could've found  me wallowing  around @¶¶§§†^«~,
¨~»^**£¶## on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got ##¶£**^»~¨
¨,-=;;*/$&                  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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¨,¨=*†£&#@                                          @#&£†*=¨,¨