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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.      #£§†\\=~^¨
,.~=*%¤@##                                          ##@¤%*=~.,
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,.¨-»~;%§¤                                          ¤§%;~»-¨.,
.,~*^%§£## 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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