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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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