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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 #@@$§;~,,,
¨,.:~†%§££ is  dark  and moist, the  canopy  having ££§%†~:.,¨
.¨,.:-/§£# already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. #£§/-:.,¨.
.,.,~^†$&#                                          #&$†^~,.,.
,¨-=;%¤¤@# there's  a  river  passing by, from east #@¤¤%;=-¨,
.,»;%@£@## to west, getting  broader and deeper and ##@£@%;»,.
,¨:~;%£¤@# slower as it  goes. equisetum grow  just #@¤£%;~:¨,
,,¨^«:§§@# where  the  pine   hands  start  to  let #@§§:«^¨,,
¨,¨,,«/%%¤ through  light,  horsemint on the  rocky ¤%%/«,,¨,¨
,.¨:~\†£@£                river bed.                £@£†\~:¨.,
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¨¨¨^«:%$¤¶ 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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