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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.      @@&§%%†=-¨
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.~»\$£&### 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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