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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.      #@££%^«:¨¨
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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 ##¶@£$\«~¨
¨¨.~\*££##                my pockets.               ##££*\~.¨¨
.¨,.«*=£&#                                          #&£=*«.,¨.
.¨:~\%&££# then   i  run   east   toward  my  home. #££&%\~:¨.
.:~==*§@##                                          ##@§*==~:.
,,--;*£#¶#                    ;                     #¶#£*;--,,
¨¨.~~;$@¤@                                          @¤@$;~~.¨¨
,,,~=$%&## 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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