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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.                @#££*$\~~.
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,¨.,,=^@@£                     ;                    £@@^=,,.¨,
,,~\%&£¶@#                                          #@¶£&%\~,,
¨¨¨:~=$^£§ 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 ##@¶#$=;~~
.^~\†££###      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      ###££†\~^.
.^-:%^*§@@                                          @@§*^%:-^.
¨:«*%$####                    :                     ####$%*«:¨
,,¨,~=%@&#                                          #&@%=~,¨,,
,:~==§&### somethings  moving  in the  grass.  it's ###&§==~:,
.:-;=£@### invisible to  my  eyes  but  i  can feel ###@£=;-:.
.,«/=%¤@## through the ground just how large it is. ##@¤%=/«,.
.~«:$&§&£@                                          @£&§&$:«~.
,.¨»»»*&## the soil is  muddy.  i  slip when trying ##&*»»»¨.,
..-^%%§#@# to   get  up,   still  looking  at   the #@#§%%^-..
¨.~:%£§@@# direction of  sound rather  than  at  my #@@§£%:~.¨
,¨,.¨~§§$# 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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