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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.                ###§§†*»:.
¨^~§$¤#@##                                          ##@#¤$§~^¨
¨,~;%*@@##                    †                     ##@@*%;~,¨
..=†%£#£##                                          ##£#£%†=..
¨^-*$%#¶@# 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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.:-;$$#¶@#                                          #@¶#$$;-:.