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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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