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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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