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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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