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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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