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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 @$\.,..¨¨¨
¨:-/=@¤### orange  tin  radio  and  a   translucent ###¤@=/-:¨
¨:~†%*#@##      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      ##@#*%†~:¨
,--^$¤&@##                                          ##@&¤$^--,
,.^:,*§£¤#                    \                     #¤£§*,:^.,
.,¨,«:$###                                          ###$:«,¨,.
,^~†=££@#@ somethings moving  in  the  grass.  it's @#@££=†~^,
¨¨¨..~:%£§ invisible to  my  eyes  but i  can  feel §£%:~..¨¨¨
¨¨..^;$§¤@ 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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