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,¨¨¨,«=£&@                                          @&£=«,¨¨¨,
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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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