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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 ###&&$\=-.
.,,~,††§&#                river bed.                #&§††,~,,.
.^~\%@#¶@#                                          #@¶#@%\~^.
.,.¨,^=$£¶                     =                    ¶£$=^,¨.,.
¨¨,-~*^%§#                                          #§%^*~-,¨¨
¨,=\†£#@## the riverbanks reek  of  magic.  tonight ##@#£†\=,¨
,¨.,.~;%&# they had been a swampworld  with  sylvan #&%;~.,.¨,
,.,.^=/†^¤ water, stone rings  and  floating  moss. ¤^†/=^.,.,
..¨.¨.»%&# you could've  found  me wallowing around #&%».¨.¨..
,~~^§*&@@# on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got #@@&*§^~~,
¨.»:^&@@@#                 bitten.                  #@@@&^:».¨
.^=†$%£@##                                          ##@£%$†=^.
¨,,¨~\==@@ but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid @@==\~¨,,¨
.,~;†£¤@## ground,  in shoulder-high grass, with an ##@¤£†;~,.
,,-/*%&@#@ orange   tin  radio  and  a  translucent @#@&%*/-,,
¨,-^§%#@##      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      ##@#%§^-,¨
¨¨...~\§¶#                                          #¶§\~...¨¨
.-»†%%¤##¶                    *                     ¶##¤%%†»-.
¨,¨...:^§@                                          @§^:...¨,¨
.^~==&§££@ somethings  moving  in the  grass.  it's @££§&==~^.
.¨.,.-\$%# invisible to  my eyes  but  i  can  feel #%$\-.,.¨.
.-~^$££@## through the ground just how large it is. ##@££$^~-.
¨,-=$%#@##                                          ##@#%$=-,¨
.,«;%@¤### 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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