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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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