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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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