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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.                ##@¤£%^»,,
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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. #@#£&*;=-¨
,.,««*£@§¶                                          ¶§@£*««,.,
,¨¨¨,†=§&#                    †                     #&§=†,¨¨¨,
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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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