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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. §%==...¨,.
,¨~:,*%@£#                                          #£@%*,:~¨,
.~~\†¤§¶@@                     \                    @@¶§¤†\~~.
,~===&#¶##                                          ##¶#&===~,
,,~*%$§@## i am not followed, and  slow down in the ##@§$%*~,,
¨~-=%%&£@# 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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