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,,=\§%¤¶##                statuette                 ##¶¤%§\=,,
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.:==*§&¶@# *£%§¤@$*§%%*@%@$««=»=-~-¤$@*$$¤&&$*§&££* #@¶&§*==:.
,¨-~:\^%*&                &$§%&%£&£                 &*%^\:~-¨,
¨.~^*%@#@#                                          #@#@%*^~.¨
..~*§*#### forests around my childhood  home. thick ####*§*~..
..,.^*%@&# pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and #&@%*^.,..
.,~\$§§¶@#       forgotten. wild boars roaming      #@¶§§$\~,.
.^-/£§@### underneath, sniffing  at the ground.  it ###@§£/-^.
,-«/=££¶@# is  dark and moist,  the  canopy  having #@¶££=/«-,
¨-~\%&#@@@ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. @@@#&%\~-¨
...¨.~\%@#                                          #@%\~.¨...
¨-=*%%@£#@ there's a  river  passing  by, from east @#£@%%*=-¨
¨...,=^*£¶ to  west, getting broader and deeper and ¶£*^=,...¨
..¨¨^~^*=£ slower as it goes. equisetum  grow  just £=*^~^¨¨..
,¨¨:*^&&££ where  the  pine  hands  start   to  let ££&&^*:¨¨,
..,~;/%%$§ through  light,  horsemint on the  rocky §$%%/;~,..
.¨¨.,.,-=@                river bed.                @=-,.,.¨¨.
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¨,~;†*#£#@                     †                    @#£#*†;~,¨
,¨,,^=%¤§§                                          §§¤%=^,,¨,
¨:»\*¤#§#@ the  riverbanks  reek of  magic. tonight @#§#¤*\»:¨
¨~~†=%%&¤@ they had been  a  swampworld with sylvan @¤&%%=†~~¨
.,«;*¤££## water,  stone rings  and floating  moss. ##££¤*;«,.
¨.,»~»~$*# you could've found  me wallowing  around #*$~»~»,.¨
.:~*%@¤### on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got ###¤@%*~:.
.,¨¨,-\££#                  bitten.                 #££\-,¨¨,.
¨....-«*¤@                                          @¤*«-....¨
¨..,~;@£#@ but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid @#£@;~,..¨
.-~†$$¤@## ground, in shoulder-high  grass, with an ##@¤$$†~-.
,-»:†£§@## orange   tin  radio  and  a  translucent ##@§£†:»-,
.~~*%§¤£##      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      ##£¤§%*~~.
¨^~\†£§£##                                          ##£§£†\~^¨
¨~=;%&&¶@#                     ;                    #@¶&&%;=~¨
.,««\=%$@@                                          @@$%=\««,.
,¨,.=«-%£# somethings  moving  in  the  grass. it's #£%-«=.,¨,
¨¨..¨,*:*¶ invisible to my  eyes  but  i  can  feel ¶*:*,¨..¨¨
,.-*§@#### through the ground just how large it is. ####@§*-.,
¨,~†=££@@#                                          #@@££=†~,¨
.,.»«*£@*¶ the  soil  is muddy. i  slip when trying ¶*@£*«».,.
..»/^$££#@ to   get   up,  still  looking  at   the @#££$^/»..
¨^-^%*#### direction  of  sound rather  than  at my ####*%^-^¨
...,,=%§@# hands, who are busy  putting  things  in #@§%=,,...
¨:»;$££###               my pockets.                ###££$;»:¨
.:«;*%£###                                          ###£%*;«:.
¨~«^$£@£@@ then  i   run   east  toward   my  home. @@£@£$^«~¨
.:«:%*¤&##                                          ##&¤*%:«:.
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.,«/=::%*£                                          £*%::=/«,.
¨:-:%%£@## i am not followed, and slow down in  the ##@£%%:-:¨
¨-»*^$££## clearing  where  you  at  first can spot ##££$^*»-¨
.,¨,:~§*£# the   house,  not  yet  really   in  the #£*§~:,¨,.
¨,.,.»«%§@ backyard. from my pockets i retrieve  my @§%«».,.,¨
¨,,.~/*%££ radio  (now  dented) but  also  a  small ££%*/~.,,¨
,,-=§%§@## clay  figure i've  never seen before. it ##@§%§=-,,
,..¨,,\£@# must have been  laying in  the wet dirt, #@£\,,¨..,
.~=\^§@### and  i  must've  picked  it up  with  my ###@§^\=~.
¨,.¨,~\*%@            other belongings.             @%*\~,¨.,¨
..¨.:~»§%¤                                          ¤%§»~:.¨..
.^~†=%*$$¤ 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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