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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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