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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.                #@££%^†=..
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¨,,.¨,»*=@ 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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