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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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