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,^-^*¤¤£#@                                          @#£¤¤*^-^,
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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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