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.^~†$§@###                                          ###@§$†~^.
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..=\†&¤@##                                          ##@¤&†\=..
..,,,,.=*§                statuette                 §*=.,,,,..
.-«†^^*%#@                                          @#%*^^†«-.
,...«:=£¤£ @*£%$$¤@£%@£$&*£~-=«~~»~@%§%%%%$¤%§&§%£% £¤£=:«...,
.,«/*§&###                %%%%@%£%&                 ###&§*/«,.
¨-«$£@¶###                                          ###¶@£$«-¨
.:«††¤£### 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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¨¨,~-=*£@#                                          #@£*=-~,¨¨
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¨¨¨,:*::%#                                          #%::*:,¨¨¨