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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. ¤¤^†\~-~,,
¨-»†**££@#                                          #@££**†»-¨
¨,:~:^**&@                    =                     @&**^:~:,¨
¨,,,:,:=§¤                                          ¤§=:,:,,,¨
..~^%@#@## 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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,.,,.=«%£#                                          #£%«=.,,.,
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