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¨,..:«^*§@                 statuette                @§*^«:..,¨
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.,~\^§$%#@ &¤$*%$£¤%&$%£&$&»»--~-=~&¤£¤%¤%§$@£$$£%% @#%$§^\~,.
¨,«:$¤@##@                %§£%¤%£%§                 @##@¤$:«,¨
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,¨,,.,-^£¶ forests  around my childhood home. thick ¶£^-,.,,¨,
.¨,,,»^*^# pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and #^*^»,,,¨.
¨.«^*££@##      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ##@££*^«.¨
,^«\%%££@# underneath, sniffing at the  ground.  it #@££%%\«^,
¨,¨¨«\*%@@ is dark  and  moist,  the canopy  having @@%*\«¨¨,¨
,~;=@&@### already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ###@&@=;~,
.~~\%†$£@@                                          @@£$†%\~~.
,,:^;†%### there's a  river  passing by, from  east ###%†;^:,,
,¨-,»$%%#¤ to west, getting broader  and deeper and ¤#%%$»,-¨,
..«:§¤@¶## slower  as it goes. equisetum  grow just ##¶@¤§:«..
,~«\%$@#@# where  the  pine  hands   start  to  let #@#@$%\«~,
,..~~*/%¤@ through light,  horsemint on  the  rocky @¤%/*~~..,
,¨,¨,¨:;@§                river bed.                §@;:¨,¨,¨,
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.,,.,,~/£#                    †                     #£/~,,.,,.
¨^~==%&£@#                                          #@£&%==~^¨
,¨,¨,~»=£# the  riverbanks reek  of  magic. tonight #£=»~,¨,¨,
¨^»/%$§@## they had been  a  swampworld with sylvan ##@§$%/»^¨
¨,,,,~%*@@ water, stone  rings and  floating  moss. @@*%~,,,,¨
..=^$$@@## 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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