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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. ##¶#&*†--.
¨,~;$$£§£#                                          #£§£$$;~,¨
¨,¨,,\£%$¤                    *                     ¤$%£\,,¨,¨
.¨¨¨.«»†^@                                          @^†»«.¨¨¨.
¨,¨.¨¨-$§# i  am not followed, and slow down in the #§$-¨¨.¨,¨
¨,«;=§&### clearing where  you  at  first can  spot ###&§=;«,¨
,,~^†£@@## the  house,   not   yet  really  in  the ##@@£†^~,,
.~»=†$@### backyard. from my  pockets i retrieve my ###@$†=»~.
.,¨.,,~;££ radio  (now  dented) but  also  a  small ££;~,,.¨,.
.,¨,,~%%£# clay  figure  i've never seen before. it #£%%~,,¨,.
¨,=**§&@## must  have been laying in  the wet dirt, ##@&§**=,¨
¨~»\§&§@@# and  i  must've  picked  it  up  with my #@@§&§\»~¨
,,=:$$§¶@#             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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