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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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