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.~»/§££###                statuette                 ###££§/»~.
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.,«*†&£¶@# @%£££%%%§$@@&@*&=~~-«~-~@%¤£@§&*%%%@£$@% #@¶£&†*«,.
..~«=††@¤@                *£&£%£$££                 @¤@††=«~..
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,,,..~:&#@ forests around my childhood home.  thick @#&:~..,,,
¨-~^*%§@#@ pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and @#@§%*^~-¨
..«;%&#£##      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ##£#&%;«..
.^-=;*%&@# underneath,  sniffing at the ground.  it #@&%*;=-^.
,~-^/^§££# is  dark and moist,  the  canopy  having #££§^/^-~,
,,¨.~»-†&§ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. §&†-»~.¨,,
¨~=\†%$*§¤                                          ¤§*$%†\=~¨
,,=^=£&@## there's  a  river passing  by, from east ##@&£=^=,,
¨,,^~:&#§# to west, getting broader and deeper  and #§#&:~^,,¨
,~«^†$#### 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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