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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.              #££:^,,¨¨¨
¨~~\$§@@£@                                          @£@@§$\~~¨
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..~^=\$*§@                                          @§*$\=^~..
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,.,,¨,«%@@                                          @@%«,¨,,.,
¨¨¨,^-**¤@                                          @¤**-^,¨¨¨