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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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