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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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