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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. ###@$†;«,¨
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¨,~;$%#### 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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