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.¨¨=:=%£@£                                          £@£%=:=¨¨.
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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.                §@==»,¨,¨,
.^=;%¤&¶##                                          ##¶&¤%;=^.
,¨,^^//*&#                    ;                     #&*//^^,¨,
,^=^%$£@##                                          ##@£$%^=^,
¨¨¨.¨«%%¤& 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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