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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.                @¤%/†-»~:,
,,»;=§§@##                                          ##@§§=;»,,
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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.      @¤$§-~»~^¨
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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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