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..,,-«**&£                 statuette                £&**«-,,..
,.,-^$$£¤@                                          @¤£$$^-,.,
¨.«/*£#@## ¤%@¤§£%£@&¤$%$£$~»~~~==«§$$%¤*%*$$£@$&¤@ ##@#£*/«.¨
,-»/*¤@£@#                $%$$£%%*$                 #@£@¤*/»-,
,.»:%$£%£&                                          &£%£$%:».,
¨.~^*¤@§## forests  around my childhood home. thick ##§@¤*^~.¨
¨:»**%#¶## pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and ##¶#%**»:¨
..-:$@#£##      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ##£#@$:-..
¨¨¨»-^^†£¶ underneath, sniffing at  the  ground. it ¶£†^^-»¨¨¨
.:-;;=^%££ is dark  and moist,  the  canopy  having ££%^=;;-:.
¨¨^,^~†£@£ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. £@£†~^,^¨¨
¨,«^†$¤@@@                                          @@@¤$†^«,¨
.«:†@&#@## there's a river  passing  by,  from east ##@#&@†:«.
,-=/§%§£¤@ to west, getting broader and deeper  and @¤£§%§/=-,
,¨.,..=~%§ slower as it  goes. equisetum grow  just §%~=..,.¨,
¨.,::†*%£# where  the  pine  hands  start  to   let #£%*†::,.¨
.¨,~«\†$## through  light,  horsemint  on the rocky ##$†\«~,¨.
..»†*£&£##                river bed.                ##£&£*†»..
,^=^%@@@##                                          ##@@@%^=^,
¨-~:=*£###                     /                    ###£*=:~-¨
,-«†§££@##                                          ##@££§†«-,
..¨.-,~*&# the riverbanks  reek of  magic.  tonight #&*~,-.¨..
¨-~\*$*£#@ they had been a swampworld  with  sylvan @#£*$*\~-¨
.,,..,~%£& water, stone  rings  and floating  moss. &£%~,..,,.
¨-~†*§&### you  could've found  me wallowing around ###&§*†~-¨
.~~†$£&#&@ on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got @&#&£$†~~.
.-~:=$¤#@#                  bitten.                 #@#¤$=:~-.
.¨¨.,,:%§§                                          §§%:,,.¨¨.
¨,~**$§&¶# but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid #¶&§$**~,¨
.^«=$%§### ground, in shoulder-high grass,  with an ###§%$=«^.
¨,«=*¤##@# orange  tin  radio  and  a   translucent #@##¤*=«,¨
¨.-=^@&£#@      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      @#£&@^=-.¨
.,~*=£#£##                                          ##£#£=*~,.
,»†$$£####                     *                    ####£$$†»,
.-=*%†$§£@                                          @£§$†%*=-.
,.~/^£@#@# somethings  moving  in  the  grass. it's #@#@£^/~.,
,:«††£§#@@ invisible  to  my  eyes  but  i can feel @@#§£††«:,
,.¨.,,†*## through the ground just how large it is. ##*†,,.¨.,
,,«;*&#@@#                                          #@@#&*;«,,
,¨¨.¨-==@# the  soil is muddy.  i slip when  trying #@==-¨.¨¨,
,^»/^;:&£¶ to   get  up,  still   looking   at  the ¶£&:;^/»^,
,,^««»~=§¤ direction  of  sound rather than  at  my ¤§=~»««^,,
¨.==§*¤$@§ hands, who  are  busy putting  things in §@$¤*§==.¨
¨.~=†£@#&¶                my pockets.               ¶&#@£†=~.¨
¨^=†*%&&§@                                          @§&&%*†=^¨
.~==$*@### then   i   run  east   toward  my  home. ###@*$==~.
¨.~\§£@¶@#                                          #@¶@£§\~.¨
.,=†=£@###                     *                    ###@£=†=,.
,.-*§%£@##                                          ##@£%§*-.,
¨-=/$$¶### 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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