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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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