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