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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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