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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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