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,^~\$£§@@#                statuette                 #@@§£$\~^,
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.....»=%&@ £%££%%$§£*£§$$@%~-==~«=~$£¤%@£$§@§¤¤@§§¤ @&%=».....
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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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