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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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