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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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