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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 @£%;^:,,¨,
,,.,~;$@@¶                river bed.                ¶@@$;~,.,,
,.,.«««;%£                                          £%;«««.,.,
.,¨,«§£§#@                    \                     @#§£§«,¨,.
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¨¨,¨.~;&## 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.      ¶#*//†;=~.
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¨:~:†*@£@#                     =                    #@£@*†:~:¨
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,,¨¨..~=§# 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. ##@@£*;»,,
,^~^†%@#@#                                          #@#@%†^~^,
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.¨¨,^*;$§@ i am not followed, and slow  down in the @§$;*^,¨¨.
.:»/§%¤@#@ 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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