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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 #@&£*:«--.
¨.,.¨.~$£@      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      @£$~.¨.,.¨
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.~\$%£@@##                    *                     ##@@£%$\~.
,-.^/†\%&@                                          @&%\†/^.-,
,..~«~:§§£ somethings  moving in  the  grass.  it's £§§:~«~..,
¨,~~«=*/*# invisible  to  my  eyes  but i  can feel #*/*=«~~,¨
.¨.¨.,†&## through the ground just how large it is. ##&†,.¨.¨.
.,¨»~-~;%£                                          £%;~-~»¨,.
¨,:~«*:%$@ 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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