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¨.«†$£§£##                statuette                 ##£§£$†«.¨
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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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