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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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