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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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