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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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