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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 #@££$§\«^.
¨...,«\%¤& hands,  who are busy  putting  things in &¤%\«,...¨
..,,~»~~%§               my pockets.                §%~~»~,,..
.^~:*£#£##                                          ##£#£*:~^.
.:~=~*%@§¤ then   i   run   east  toward  my  home. ¤§@%*~=~:.
,,~^†¤&###                                          ###&¤†^~,,
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.¨..,-^§&# i am not followed, and  slow down in the #&§^-,..¨.
,:»;=$&### 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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