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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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