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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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.^«;=%£###                                          ###£%=;«^.
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