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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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