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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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