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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 £@§=~-¨.¨.
,:«†$@&###      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      ###&@$†«:,
,,-\%§£@@#                                          #@@£§%\-,,
.~~:*§#@@#                     :                    #@@#§*:~~.
.-==§£§@##                                          ##@§£§==-.
¨,,..:^*%@ 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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