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.,¨..-~*%£                statuette                 £%*~-..¨,.
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¨,.~*\*&££ $¤%%§£$%@@%$££@¤-~~~=~=~&£@§&%$$*&*%¤%£% ££&*\*~.,¨
,.«/†%££##                 §£$¤£$¤%*                ##££%†/«.,
¨-~;†§##@#                                          #@##§†;~-¨
.¨¨.¨~^$¤# forests around my childhood home.  thick #¤$^~¨.¨¨.
,,..¨,~/&¤ pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and ¤&/~,¨..,,
.,=†$§=&¤£      forgotten. wild boars roaming       £¤&=§$†=,.
.¨,.-/%@£@ underneath, sniffing  at  the ground. it @£@%/-.,¨.
.,~*^:&&&£ is  dark  and  moist,  the canopy having £&&&:^*~,.
¨,«^^¤££## already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ##££¤^^«,¨
,-»~*;$$£&                                          &£$$;*~»-,
,¨¨^»=§¤££ there's a river  passing  by, from  east ££¤§=»^¨¨,
.,~**&§### to  west, getting broader and deeper and ###§&**~,.
..¨,,-;§%¶ slower as it  goes. equisetum  grow just ¶%§;-,,¨..
¨:»;§%%*@£ where  the  pine  hands   start  to  let £@*%%§;»:¨
.-«/§*§@#@ through light,  horsemint  on the  rocky @#@§*§/«-.
,--:§$#¶@#                river bed.                #@¶#$§:--,
,,.¨::=%£#                                          #£%=::¨.,,
¨,¨¨¨~=†*£                     †                    £*†=~¨¨¨,¨
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¨,.:»=§&¤@ the  riverbanks  reek of magic.  tonight @¤&§=»:.,¨
,:~;%*&### they had  been a swampworld with  sylvan ###&*%;~:,
,.,¨¨^=†$§ water,  stone  rings and floating  moss. §$†=^¨¨,.,
,,¨¨.-/&§# you could've  found me wallowing  around #§&/-.¨¨,,
,~~††££### on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got ###££††~~,
¨-»~*\;=¤@                  bitten.                 @¤=;\*~»-¨
.-~/$*¤@##                                          ##@¤*$/~-.
¨^~;%$¤£## but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid ##£¤$%;~^¨
,:-;%¤£### ground, in shoulder-high grass,  with an ###£¤%;-:,
.,:.»~†&§& orange  tin  radio   and  a  translucent &§&†~».:,.
¨^«^§$£###      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      ###£$§^«^¨
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,..¨.¨~†%¤                                          ¤%†~¨.¨..,
¨,»*%£@### somethings moving  in  the  grass.  it's ###@£%*»,¨
¨,¨.,,†%¤@ invisible  to  my  eyes  but i  can feel @¤%†,,.¨,¨
..~=%¤@@@# through the ground just how large it is. #@@@¤%=~..
,~-:$$@@¶@                                          @¶@@$$:-~,
.,=†=%§£@# 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.                #@¶§*=*«.,
.,»^**&@##                                          ##@&**^»,.
,~«*$*@£## then  i   run  east   toward   my  home. ##£@*$*«~,
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,,~/=$££##                    =                     ##££$=/~,,
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,.~;=$&@## i am not followed,  and slow down in the ##@&$=;~.,
,,¨.,~~$@# clearing  where  you  at first can  spot #@$~~,.¨,,
¨,»\=$¤@## the   house,   not  yet  really  in  the ##@¤$=\»,¨
,¨,.;†%£&¤ 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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