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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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