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,:,»»*†=$@                 statuette                @$=†*»»,:,
,.,.¨~§*=§                                          §=*§~¨.,.,
¨,»\\\†¤@£ &§££&£§§££§££§@£-=~==~»~@$@%$&%£*$§&$§*$ £@¤†\\\»,¨
.,»:%§§###                 ¤*$£*%£££                ###§§%:»,.
,¨,.¨-~%§@                                          @§%~-¨.,¨,
.,»=%*^$^& 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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,-=^=¤&@@#                                          #@@&¤=^=-,
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