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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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