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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.      #@#@£%†=:.
¨.-\*£@@##                                          ##@@£*\-.¨
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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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