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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. §%;:,¨,.¨,
¨-,^,~/^&£                                          £&^/~,^,-¨
,-~\†$§§*#                    :                     #*§§$†\~-,
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,^~==&&@## 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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