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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.      @¶¤&;-,¨¨,
¨,¨¨.,»†##                                          ##†»,.¨¨,¨
.^»;§£%§¤@                     ^                    @¤§%£§;»^.
,~«††*£###                                          ###£*††«~,
..-==£¤### 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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