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,:=\;*¤@¤£                 statuette                £¤@¤*;\=:,
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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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