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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 §$^=^†,~,,
¨~~^*@§§£# orange  tin  radio  and  a   translucent #£§§@*^~~¨
¨,~\%¤£¶##      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      ##¶£¤%\~,¨
¨:~=**@###                                          ###@**=~:¨
,»†%§&¶@##                    ^                     ##@¶&§%†»,
,-«***§%¤£                                          £¤%§***«-,
.,.¨,-;%£¤ somethings moving  in  the  grass.  it's ¤£%;-,¨.,.
¨~==*##### invisible  to  my  eyes  but i can  feel #####*==~¨
¨.==^£@@## through the ground just how large it is. ##@@£^==.¨
,.,.»:=@$@                                          @$@=:».,.,
.^~//=£%@# the  soil is  muddy. i slip  when trying #@%£=//~^.
.,-;*£¤@## to   get  up,  still   looking   at  the ##@¤£*;-,.
¨^»^%^%£$# 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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