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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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