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¨¨¨¨,~^*££                                          ££*^~,¨¨¨¨
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.¨,-=^&¤¶#                statuette                 #¶¤&^=-,¨.
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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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